Every Saturday morning I get a noodge from God. "So, can I interest you in doing something Jewish-like today?" They ask. (My God is nonbinary.)
God has an idea for me. For years, I attended Shabbat morning services at a variety of synagogues. I liked the Torah discussions, but my membership, attendance, and loyalty dimmed to my current description: culturally, but not religiously Jewish.
I do have a Mezuzahaffixed to my doorpost. I don't say a prayer when entering and exiting, but I do tap my fingers to the case.
Read MoreDoris and I play a game prior to nap and bedtime. Before slipping under the covers, I stand at the mattress' side and stare at the empty pillows. My rescue pet usually sleeps atop two.
I am in dramatic mode, acting as if a loved one has disappeared. "Where is Doris?" I shriek.
"Has anyone seen my baby?" comes the second line of dialog.
Read MoreMy bedtime routine is to plug my iPhone and iWatch into their chargers. Their cradles are adjacent. But ever since I left my elderly iPad in the seat pocket of an American Airlines jet, I relocated the phone to the bedroom where it would substitute until my iPad6 arrived.
After waiting a month, my device finally landed. So prior to sleep, I placed the iPhone back to its original spot.
As I turned to leave, I heard a whimpering, then a soft voice.bedtime routine is to plug my iPhone and iWatch into their chargers. Their cradles are adjacent. But ever since I left my elderly iPad in the seat pocket of an American Airlines jet, I relocated the phone to the bedroom where it would substitute until my iPad6 arrived.
After waiting a month, my device finally landed. So prior to sleep, I placed the iPhone back to its original spot.
As I turned to leave, I heard a whimpering, then a soft voice.
Read MoreI told my dog park friends that I'd be hiring a car to drive Doris and me from Chicago to Los Angeles for a weekend event, they protested.
"Three days in a car!" Bethany said as she put a hand on my arm, as alarmed as if I had announced my pet and i would be hitchhiking the route.
Another friend painted images of motels on the road: seedy travellers, moldy walls, and stained linens.
Read MoreDoris and I are early risers. The first walk of the day for my adopted 3-year -old Terrier/Jack Russell mix is 6 am. It is dark at the hour. There are security cameras on several buildings, a handful of other dog owners, morning exercisers, and autos.
I don't count on the cameras or other folk for protection. I have my own trio of angels.
According to the Torah, angels are messengers from God. But my specific angels -- my father, husband, and brother -- have in my imagination elected to swap that role and instead become my personal predawn bodyguards.
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