Tag: encouragement
Posted on July 17, 2016
by MJ
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I have been writing about personal transformation referring to Alan Morinis’ book about the Mussar tradition, Every Day, Holy Day: 365 Days of Teachings and Practices from the Jewish Tradition of Mussar . According to the Mussar tradition, we have to fuel our own… Continue Reading “Practicing Joy”
Posted on May 19, 2016
by MJ
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A few weeks ago while I was browsing through Facebook, I came upon one of those ubiquitous quizzes. This particular quiz was entitled “How High Maintenance are You?” and the women who had completed it were more than happy to post and comment on their… Continue Reading “The High Maintenance Woman and Self-Care”
Posted on April 24, 2016
by MJ
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We are in the middle of celebrating Passover. That means lots of matzo. If you’ve ever eaten matzo, then you’ll notice that it gets on everything. I have crumbs everywhere. It is the perfect food for fairy tales and getting lost in the woods.… Continue Reading “What Matzo Can Teach Us”
Category: Faith, God, Judaism, personal development, RedemptionTags: dialectical tension, encouragement, Faith, God, matzo, Passover, personal empowerment, slavery vs. freedom
Posted on December 6, 2015
by MJ
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I came across this list a few days ago: 26 Ways to Take Your Life Back When You’re Broken. I haven’t considered myself to be broken in a long time, but I will admit that there have been aspects of my life that have… Continue Reading “The Happiness List”
Posted on March 22, 2015
by MJ
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I am trying to put meaning to my circumstances as they intensify, and they are intensifying. Every day is an adventure and not a good one. I don’t know what’s going to happen next with my husband, and each of my daughters has had… Continue Reading “Applying Meaning”
Category: abuse in families, encouragement, Moving Forward, relationships, therapy, Truth, Women's IssuesTags: applying meaning to suffering, differentiation, encouragement, preventing parental alienation, self-care, therapy, truth, women's identities
Posted on March 10, 2015
by MJ
2 Comments
Where does resiliency come from? I don’t know. I’ve read that it comes from a sense of being loved. Early in life, if a child senses that they are loved by at least one person, then they will have some kind of resiliency in… Continue Reading “Prayer and Resiliency”
Category: encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Moving Forward, prayerTags: encouragement, God, personal God, prayer, Psalms, resiliency
Posted on January 10, 2015
by MJ
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I have learned something about getting on with life. There’s no easy way to do it, and there’s no good time to do it. What’s more, there is absolutely no pain-free way to do it either. Hollywood has played a bigger role in our… Continue Reading “Magical Thinking”
Category: abuse in families, Christianity, encouragement, Faith, God, Healing, Moving Forward, relationshipsTags: "happy ever after" mentality, Christianity, encouragement, God, healing process, judgment in the church, magical thinking, personal responsiblity, religion, suffering
Posted on December 22, 2014
by MJ
1 Comment
We are right in the middle of the holiday season. Hanukkah is here. Christmas Eve is the day after tomorrow. Kwanzaa begins on Friday. These are holidays that involve gathering with communities and families. Because of that, the holiday season can be a much… Continue Reading “The Three Kinds of Forgiveness”
Category: Christianity, encouragement, Faith, forgiveness, God, Healing, Judaism, relationshipsTags: Christianity, encouragement, forgiveness, God, healing process, Judaism, judgment in the church, reconciliation
Posted on December 5, 2014
by MJ
8 Comments
I don’t know how many people are familiar with the idea of “generational sin”. There are many ministries in different streams of the Christian faith today that deal with myriad flavors of this idea. The foundation of this notion is that we are affected in… Continue Reading “Origin Stories”
Category: encouragement, Healing, Judaism, Moving Forward, RedemptionTags: a more powerful narrative, Conversos, Crypto-Jews, encouragement, Faith, healing, Jews of Iberian Peninsula, Judaism, narrative, origin stories, Sephardim, thriving
Posted on October 30, 2014
by MJ
8 Comments
I feel compelled to write this out, but I want to write it carefully. I don’t want to trigger anyone. I don’t often write explicitly about my past sexual abuse largely because I identify less and less with it. I have aggressively and relentlessly… Continue Reading “The Burden of WHY”
Category: abuse in families, anxiety, encouragement, Healing, Moving Forward, Sexual AbuseTags: encouragement, flashbacks, healing process, PTSD, recovering from sexual abuse, sexual abuse, trauma, wanting to know why