I had coffee with a friend recently — she lost her brother this year — and as we sat there savoring a quiet moment before the holiday rush, she glanced around the café at the families and children and sighed. “I’m the last of my family sitting at the Thanksgiving table this year.” My heart ached for her… and, if I’m honest, for myself too.Because in her words, I felt the shrinking of my own family — the once-rowdy household of five daughters and two parents that has slowly gr

“Mending Fences”: Boundaries That Breathe On growing up with no privacy, learning boundaries in sobriety, and why healthy fences still let love in. I have a problem with the term “boundaries” – with what it means and how to do it. It probably started with sharing one bathroom with four sisters and my parents. I’d be showering and someone would rush in, leaving me with a cold blast mid‑shampoo, or there’d be pounding on the door: “Hurry up!” My poor father would stand at the

Before You Think Positive, Learn Your Emotional ABCs (by Karen Rubinstein) I love Andy Williams. I really do. Moon River ? One of my favorites. But there’s one song I wish he’d skipped — It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Is it REALLY Andy? Because let’s be honest: it’s not always wonderful. But that is the perception of this time of year - caroling, family dinners, mistletoe and hohoho, candlelit mennorahs and on top of it all - good cheer. I feel I’m not radiating ho