Heads or Tails Tuesday: Peace or Piece

Well, folks, it is that time again! Heads Or Tails is a weekly meme done on Tuesdays hosted by Skittles. Anyone can play. In fact the more, the merrier! You can visit the Heads or Tails Home Page for more information on how you can join in!

Today's topic/prompt: Peace or Piece

We're gonna play random word association here, jumping off from the word "Peace" and seeing if I wind up at the other word, "Piece." Think I can do it? Let's see where the stream of consciousness takes me (I haven't tried this on the blog before, so we shall see how it goes!!). Admittedly, some parts might only make sense in my brain, but humor me :)

Peace - Give Peace a Chance - New Kids Dance - Peace in the Middle East - War and Peace - Crime and Punishment - Crimes and Misdemeanors - Sense and Sensibility - Pride and Prejudice - Joy and Pain - Sunshine and Rain - I've seen fire and I've seen rain - James Taylor - campfires - s'mores - guitars - Closer to Fine - Indigo Girls - True Colors - Scarlet Fever - Red - Velvet - Barbershop Quartet - Skokie, Illinois - high school - musical - Anything Goes - big hats - Kentucky Derby - mint julep - Georgia - Georgia on My Mind - Driving Miss Daisy - Jessica Tandy - Cocoon - growing old - immortality - reincarnation - past life regression - Dr. Brian Weiss - Oprah Winfrey - James Frey - A Million Pieces - Piece



Wow -- it worked!!!

5 Month Surgery Update

Believe it or not - today marks FIVE MONTHS since my spinal surgery!! How has time passed so quickly? I truly feel like I have experienced a miracle - my life is so completely and totally changed. Some interesting developments:






1) I've been able to start doing some video workouts! My cable system comes with a section called "Exercise TV," and it includes all kinds of workouts, from simple walking, dancing, pilates, yoga, and aerobics. I have been doing a walking workout (basically low impact, left-right-left-right, add some arms), which covers 2 miles over the half-hour, and it has felt so good! Having done NOTHING like this for three years, it feels amazing to be able to work up a sweat without being in tremendous pain.

2) I DANCED THE NIGHT AWAY!!! My synagogue held a big fund-raiser dinner dance two weeks ago. I had no idea what to expect - they advertised dancing, but were the congregants in attendance actually going to get up?? The answer was a HUGE yes! And, dear readers, I was up there the WHOLE TIME!! I was able to dance for THREE hours in HEELS, and didn't even hurt the next day. I haven't danced in years, and I haven't worn heels in years, and I was doing BOTH!!! 13 year old Marci, who won tons of dance contests on the Bar/Bat Mitzvah circuit, was celebrating the return to the dancefloor. My hips were shaking, my shoulders were shimmying, and the electric slide was calling my name. Ahhhhh......

3) I am closer and closer to being able to sit with my right leg in front of me. This may seem minor, but think about how often you have your legs up - in bed, sitting cross-legged, etc. I have had to keep it hanging off the side of the bed until I lay down because my hip wouldn't let me bring up the leg. Now - the muscle is much looser and I can do it!

Thanks for helping me celebrate!!

Haveil Havalim! The Jewish Blog Carnival

Wow - I am so excited to share a link to this week's Haveil Havalim - the Jewish Blog Carnival. This week's edition can be found at Ima on (and off) the Bima. Some general information about the "carnival:"

Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs -- a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs all around the world. It's hosted by different bloggers each week and coordinated by Jack. The term 'Haveil Havalim,' which means "Vanity of Vanities," is from Qoheleth, (Ecclesiastes) which was written by King Solomon. King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and later on got all bogged down in materialism and other 'excesses' and realized that it was nothing but 'hevel,' or in English, 'vanity.'






Phyllis, at Ima...Bima, shares links for all sorts of fun Jewish sites: Jewish Life and Times, In and On Israel, and Miscellaneous Interesting posts (where she linked back to ME!). Be sure to give her a visit and check out some of our fabulous fellow bloggers. Never mind the fact that she is ALWAYS a great read :)

Bloggers Unite for Human Rights!

Today is a special day - blogs around the world have the opportunity to unite for human rights, and to write on something that they find important.

I had an incredible opportunity to participate in a gathering in Central Park last week - it was organized by Rabbis for Human Rights - North America, an organization of which I am a part. We gathered on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day. There were 60 rabbis, cantors, and rabbinical students there - one for each year of Israel's existence. We sang together, we prayed, and we spoke about human rights. The rabbis who led the event discussed the importance of Israel's right to exist, as well as the right of the Palestinians to safety, security, and peace.

In honor of this blogging event (as I pause from my scarlet fever haze), I would like to share a reading that we all recited at the event. It was inspiring, hopeful, and comforting:

Don't be afraid of sudden terror,
Nor of the calamity that comes to the wicked.
"Devise your evil plots -- they will fail!
Lay out your wicked plans -- they are doomed!
God is with us!"

Even to your old age, I am the same;
When you are grey-headed, still I will sustain you!
I have made you, and I will bear you;
I will sustain you, and I will save you!

(Proverbs 3:25, Isaiah 8:10, 46:4)

Rabbis for Human Rights - North America, was even featured on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times!!

If you are blogging for human rights today, let me know! I will include a link to your site in this post!!


Ima on (and off) the Bima has lots of suggestions for ways to make the world a better place!!

What century is this?!

I was diagnosed with Scarlet Fever today. It is essentially a bad case of strep with a rash all over your body. What a crazy thing!! Thank goodness for antibiotics - they prevent it from being serious. I have a high fever, sore throat, tummy issues, and a rash that looks like a sunburn. Where in the world did I get this?!?!

My marvelous doctor said I should feel better in a few days. I will write more when I return to the 21st century.

Chag HaAtzmaut Sameach!

Happy 60th Birthday, Israel! Happy Independence Day!

May the land and its inhabitants be blessed with tranquility and shalom. .

Ready for Shabbat

Hi, my friends! I am very excited that it is finally Shabbat. This week felt very long, and, as my dad says, "Shabbat always comes at the right time." Just when you don't think you can take another day of tumult, stress, or conflict, the Sabbath arrives.

As you saw in my previous posts this week, it has been a painful week. I don't think that anything out of the ordinary was going on - I think that it was more of a perfect storm of triggers: I got my period, I ran out of my muscle relaxant, I was really stressed out, and I led two very long worship services last weekend. Any one event on its own wouldn't have caused an increase in pain, but - together? Oy vey.

Yep, I am really ready for Shabbat.

Feeling better today

Spent all day in bed, on ice ("Marci on the rocks?"). Feeling better. Just need to get my energy level back up after battling the pain.

Maybe this weekend will bring a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. That would be wonderful.