Category: Stella

I’m alive. It may seem obvious. As obvious as the fact that anyone reading this shares my condition. But it’s not. To be alive is to be more than simply a creature that eats, sleeps, and breathes. To be alive is to embrace life, knowing that our continued existence is by no means guaranteed. Not…

I ran the Jerusalem Marathon a few days ago. I put everything I had into that race and finished with a time I was proud of. It was my strongest effort ever. But now the race is over. I close my eyes and think about an extremely long, sometimes exhilarating, but more often painful, journey.…

Some people might say that I shouldn’t keep looking at Stella’s pictures. It will just make it harder to move on. And others might say that maybe I shouldn’t keep blogging about Stella. That maybe the blog simply becomes an online shrine and I the caretaker. Perhaps I shouldn’t dwell on reminders of her absence…

I don’t do slow. It’s not a brag. I will say up front, that there’s busloads of guys (written as gender inclusive cause “gals” has always sounded corny to me) who can kick my butt in a run. So when I saw I don’t do slow, I’m not making out to be the Jewish Usain…

Unlike the last blog post, the following actually happened the way I am writing it. A few years ago, Lawrence and I were zipping down the Bat Ayin trail on our bikes. It’s a very steep, fast, and technical trail. I am much better at endurance and climbing than finesse. He was, as usual, way…

As human beings, we have a natural desire to comfort others. We want to find the right words that will ease a friend’s pain. Especially with men, if something’s broken, we want to say something that will fix it. We’re not that great at silent empathy. So when there is a great pain, many people…

Here’s another story from the shiva that people seemed to like. Rabbi Singer is our (I guess “my,” but it just seems wrong to write that) spiritual mentor from Potomac, Maryland. But he is much more than our (again, I’ll just leave it I guess) “Rabbi.” He is one of the wisest and funniest people…

Shiva week is over. The chairs and guests, and food have been put away. The home that was turned into a medical clinic and then a synagogue is slowly being transformed back into a home. There were many amazing stories that were told about Stella over the week. This one was my daughters’ favorites: I…