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A letter to help a friend’s child get into a certain college. Reaching out to someone for the suggestion of a good doctor. Going on a trip almost anywhere and contacting someone who lives there for ideas about good restaurants, the most important sights, where to stay.   A recommendation is basically advice from a source who’s in the know for information for a specific objective. But asking someone for a recommendation or giving one may cut into our busy schedules. It’s a favor, sometimes a huge one, since we all know that our time is precious.   We’ve both been asked...

During the holiday season, those who are alone and may not have an invite for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah candle lighting and dinner with latkes, Christmas or New Year’s Eve or Day festivities may feel more alone than ever.  Sitting at home with a one-person portion of turkey and fixings that you might have brought in from the grocery store, no chit-chat with others or going to work at a food pantry to help others can be an okay substitute—it’s only one day. However, it’s not the same as being invited!  Everyone has experienced not being included for some event—whether a birthday...

To understand the power of gratitude one must understand what it means. It’s a thank you to us and to others, an appreciation for what we do, what we have or have accomplished and what others do for us. It can be something as simple as a bakery clerk who gives you an extra cookie for free, a compliment that never costs anybody anything to share or something a little more significant like you aced a math test or learned a difficult passage in music. It can also be a grand accomplishment—the best of the best--such as having your first...

Steel yourselves. The gale force of the holidays is building to hurricane status, which doesn’t just hit on Thanksgiving but days ahead and afterward. For many, Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday. It’s a time to gather, rejoice and be thankful for all we have. Amen. But at the same time, the holiday may trigger other responses— dread, anxiety and CHAOS! Your mind might begin to wonder and worry. Can you handle all the shopping over multiple days, prep and cook so that everything has its proper time in the oven, set the table, figure out who sits next to whom...

We tend to be consumed with our habits. Some are nervous ones such as biting nails or twirling hair strands. Bad habits. Flossing teeth twice every day because you cannot stand the feel of food between your teeth and because it stops plaque from building up helps keep the dentist at bay. Healthy habit. With Thanksgiving coming up, overeating is a holiday habit that can make you sick and lead to other health issues. Nauseating habit.  Any addiction to alcohol, drugs, tobacco, even carbs and sugar. Dangerous, seriously bad habits. A habit is not a routine. How do they differ?...