Family Passover Seder 4-16-17

We decided to do a seder together during the afternoon on Sunday, April 16 (which is also Rebekah's birthday) since we weren't together as a family because my dad and I were in Sun Valley for the first or second nights of Passover.



(My dad and I did attend a wonderful seder in Sun Valley with the Wood River Jewish Community  in Sun Valley though and Dan, Rebekah, and Annabelle also had a seder together on the first night of Passover.)

What made it extra special was that my son Joel is home for five weeks after touring Europe with Disney On Ice Frozen. Later in the afternoon, we went bike riding and took a walk. It was such a special day!

I helped a little dog get home today - Wednesday, 3-22-17

Today, 3-22-17, I was riding my bike with my dog Duchess and then I saw a lost little dog.

I was able to look at the little dog's ID tag and called the owner who was at a meeting at work. She gave me her address.

I made friends with the little dog, who the owner told me was named Oscar. Oscar followed me and Duchess on my bike towards his home address.

When I got to the Oscar's house, I safely got the dog inside his backyard to greet the other family dog.

Oscar was a little Yorkie I think and very friendly and he sure liked to pee! It was funny seeing him lift his leg at every opportunity...since Duchess is a girl, I forgot about the lifting leg thing that male dogs do....

 If I had not gone riding this morning, that poor little dog may have never returned home. He looked so scared when he was lost, but then looked so happy when I made friends with him!

A friend of mine says that "it is no coincidence" that I was out riding my bike with Duchess at the same time this little dog was lost and frightened...

Mi Shebeirach - Jewish Healing Prayer

I've always loved this song and prayer. I played it constantly in the hospital when my husband Dan was "near death" after his horrible accident in 2005.

 

Field Trip to Mosque In Israel! 3-14-17

The boarding school in Israel that my daughter Annabelle is at right now, took a field trip to a mosque on Tuesday, March 14, 2017!

Nancy Linder's Music Is Awesome!

Nancy Linder is a Cantorial Soloist at Temple Beth David in Westminster, California. She came to Temple Israel to entertain the congregation after the Shabbat Fellowship Luncheon on Saturday, March 4, 2017. She sang mostly songs from Broadway musicals on that day, but afterwards she had her CDs on sale, and I bought three of her CDs!

I've been listening to all of the CDs since I've returned to Colorado, and I have come to the conclusion that she sings all the Hebrew and Shabbat songs I love AND she also sings songs from musicals.  How awesome is that!?!?

On her Songs for Shabbat and Broadway Melodies albums, she sings one of my favorite songs, There Can Be Miracles When You Believe.  That song has special significance for me since it is the song I played over and over again in the hospital after my husband's horrible accident in 2005.  I truly believed there could be a miracle and that he would live, and he did!

Anyway, thank you, Nancy Linder, for your wonderful music!

• NancyLinder.com

Was This Encounter One of Those "God Ordained" Plans? I Think So!

I had a really cool encounter with my friend Sandy's daughter Kelly and Sandy on Tuesday, March 7, 2017!

I was riding my Razor Lux Scooter happily in a California beach community and at the same time Sandy and Kelly were talking about me! When we saw one another OUT OF THE BLUE, we waved to one another and then I got in their car and we had a short visit!

It had to be one of those encounters planned by God!

Rabbi Jay Sherwood to Come to Colorado Springs!

Rabbi Jay Sherwood was just elected today 2-26-17 as the new rabbi for Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs. I look forward to the creative music he will bring to the Jewish community in Colorado Springs!

 

He is currently at Congregation Emanu El in Redlands, California.  Below is a bit about him from the congregation's website:

Rabbi Jay Sherwood

Rabbi Jay Sherwood took his place as our congregation's rabbi in July, 2015. He received his BA in Jewish Studies from UCLA and received his Rabbinic Ordination and Master of Rabbinic Studies degree from the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. Before entering the rabbinate, Rabbi Sherwood had a twenty-plus year career in Jewish education and Jewish camping, during which he served as Director of Youth and Informal Educational Programming at Temple Beth Hillel in North Hollywood, CA; Director of Education at Temple Beth Israel in Pomona, CA; and Jewish Educator/Rabbinic Intern at Vista Del Mar Child and Family Services in Los Angeles, CA. He held such positions as Program Director, Education Director and Music Director at Jewish summer camps and travel programs throughout the United States and Israel, as well as over 250 Jewish camp weekends for youth, adults and families. In 2006 Rabbi Sherwood and a number of friends founded Adat Re'im, a congregation based in Rancho Cucamonga. Many of the former members of Adat Re'im have followed Rabbi Sherwood to Congregation Emanu El and have been welcomed here with open arms. Rabbi Sherwood is a Life Member of the National Eagle Scout Association, a TV game show champion (Rock & Roll Jeopardy, Trivial Pursuit and Don't Forget the Lyrics!), and once worked on Main Street at Disneyland. Rabbi and his wife Lisa live in Rancho Cucamonga and are are blessed with two children. Email Rabbi Sherwood at rabbijaysherwood@emanuelsb.org.