My son tells me he wants to move out this summer and my heart sinks. Why? He's barely home now as it is -- busy with school, friends, and whatever keeps early 20s busy and away from parents and home. Still, I feel an emptiness growing. Is this what they call empty nest syndrome?

It's one year later and I'm still remembering Stuart's heart attack. Last week we "celebrated" (for lack of a better word) his survival which, if you believe in miracles (and I do but Stuart doesn't), clearly was a miracle. I'll post the story later on. It's quite sobering to watch someone almost die although I'm sure not as sobering as almost ( Read more... )

Recently read a book called Off the Derech about why observant Jews leave Judaism. When I first saw the book, I thought it would be the usual garbage about how the person who is no longer observant didn't understand or appreciate all that Judaism has to offer but I was very wrong. The author squarely puts the blame on the way Judaism is practiced ( Read more... )