All posts of Melinda

Elevating My Father’s Soul

Elevating the Neshamah (soul) of my father Bert Bernstein, Pinchas Ben Hyman Samuel, Z”L on his Yahrzeit, (anniversary of his passing). He began his return home, motzei shabbat (after the close of Shabbat), the night before Hanukkah in 2015. We light a remembrance candle in his honor, we remember him, motzei shabbos, the night before […]
4 years ago

A Humane Approach to Thanksgiving

Dear friends: I hope this message finds you in good health and spirits. Seeing that Thanksgiving is upon us, I wanted to share thoughts on what a humane approach to Thanksgiving might be.  I’m not just talking about being kind to one another and such.  I’m talking a bit about our plan as it relates […]
4 years ago

A Meaningful Blessing on Veterans Day

May this message bring you, a meaningful blessing on Veterans Day Thank you to all the great veterans that allow all of us to support humanity in freedom.  I/We humbly remember you and honor your dedication.   Many have benefitted from your devotion Many are grateful for all you’ve given.   We remember your sacrifice […]
4 years ago
cemetery

Why I Wrote My Own Funeral

This past summer I sought a therapeutic process of writing my own funeral.  Now I want to share why I wrote my own funeral.  I got the idea of doing this due to my experience of guiding people through the funeral process of a loved one.  When a loved one dies, the experience of urgency […]
4 years ago
Om Shalom

The Impermanence of Succot

Dear friends: I hope this message finds you well and is received in the spirit of which it is offered. I’d like to speak to the jewish perspective on impermanence, specifically because Succot begins tomorrow night and offers us a fresh view of life and the celebration of it.  Impermanence means that not all things are […]
5 years ago

As We Face the One Judge

As Yom Kippur approaches, may all of Israel have an easy and meaningful fast in facing the One Judge who holds us close to his heart. All of Israel is a term used to remind us that we are all responsible for one another.  Hence, all of Israel is one body and each of us […]
5 years ago

L’shanah tovah! May it be a good and sweet year!

  Dear Friends:  I hope & pray this message finds you in good health and spirits.  Rosh Hashanah is the ultimate celebration of the birthday of the world.  It’s a time of deep reflection and sweet renewal and it begins sundown, on September 29th.  The time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is known as the […]
5 years ago
Blog

Elul, Dorian & Donald

Before I found my way into this covenant of service, I pondered if I was chosen for the task.  I was deeply fearful of being rejected for the conscious connection I knew to be true with God. Covenants require a lot of development from within.  God will require us to be unwaveringly true to ourselves.  I took my […]
5 years ago
Yahrzeit Candle

Remembering The Dearly Departed

Remembering the dearly departed is a significant tradition amongst Jews.  It’s called Yahrzeit and is a Yiddish word meaning anniversary of a death.  Traditionally the anniversary falls on the Hebrew date, not the Gregorian date.  To commemorate the Yahrzeit, mourners light a Yahrzeit candle, which burns for 24 hours.  They say Kaddish prayer and hopefully […]
5 years ago

The Power of the Soul: Lessons on Grief, Recovery and What Comes Next

The Power of the Soul: Lessons on Grief, Recovery and What Comes Next Grief is a powerful emotion that touches us all at some point in our lives, but very few of us have the tools to process these feelings. As a grief counselor and life coach, as well as through my personal experiences with […]
5 years ago