Recs- Inspirational Book

I’ve been reading this book for about two years.

Every day I would pick a random page and read that page. I’d bookmark it so I knew if I’d read it before.

Twice my Kindle reset me and deleted all my notes and bookmarks, so I had to start again.

I’ve finally finished it, but I’m thinking of starting it again.

Because it’s random you can’t predict what uplifting passage or word of advice will come your way on a given day.

I’ve found it very powerful.

I think you will too.

Under the Tamarind Tree A Secret Journey into Our Souls: Inspirational Quotes About Life, A Reminder of the Inner Magic by John Harricharan

Recs – Ambient Noise

I was privileged to attend Evening Prayer with my friend, Fran who was offering the evening’s reflection. She wrote about it here.

In listening to her talk about Gordon Hempton, the acoustic ecologist, it reminded me of one of my favorite “quiet” spaces: lunch rush at the Cracker Barrel. I know it doesn’t sound much like a quiet space, but the background noise of conversations you can’t really understand the words of, clattering of forks on plates, glasses sliding on wet tabletops, the occasional laugh; is noisy to keep unnecessary things out of my head and keep the concentration in. I actually get my best writing done at these times.

Right then, about the second paragraph of her reflection, I knew what my Thursday Rec would be: those noisy/quiet spaces that help us center ourselves, whether we’re trying to write or think or pray our way, these are some of the places that have been recommended. I had most of these resources, but this Tumblr compiled a list for their readers. (Descriptions for 1 through 10 were done by the Tumblr user, belt. I’ve also added a couple more:

Rainymood – Allows you to play rain, with suggestions of ambient music to play at the same time.
Calm – A visually beautiful website. Provides moving backgrounds and an option for guided calm which allows you to immerse yourself in the music and to relax.
Showertime – The experience of taking a shower without the water. Allows you to control features such as length of shower, size of room, water pressure, etc.
Coffitivity – The background noise of a coffee shop. Allows you to choose between different locations such as lunchtime lounge, morning murmur etc.
Soundrown – A website with a sleek minimalist design, allows you to choose between rain, coffee shop, ocean, fire, bird noises, or a combination of the five.
Relaxing Snow – Visually beautiful falling snow, the website gives you the opinion to play music with the scenery, or to choose your own.
Raining.Fm – This website gives you the ability to adjust the rain to exactly how you’d like it, with options to tweak thunder, rain and storm noises.
Rain For Me – Simple rain effects with the option to download the audio files for offline listening.
Snowy Mood – Inspired by Rainy Mood, this website really makes you feel like it’s winter.
Rainy Cafe – Combines the sounds of a bustling cafe setting with the sounds of drizzling rain. Allows you to select the volume of each setting, or turn one off completely.

Others I’ve found:

SoundTracker
http://www.simplynoise.com/
http://www.naturesoundplayer.com/
http://www.calmsound.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-qnBxzUv4g (thunderstorms)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJCpgVc-8n8 (waterfalls)
http://mynoise.net/

Of these, I’ve used Coffitivity and the YouTube videos. I’ve also recorded my own sounds at Starbucks, Cracker Barrel and the Cohoes Falls.

Enjoy whatever level of quiet that you like.

Disclaimer: This is for informational purposes only. I do not know how any of these will affect your computer, so please research or use you anti-virus to check them out before downloading any of them.

Recs- Bro. Mickey McGrath

This is my first original piece of artwork from my retreat with Bro. Mickey McGrath.

Bro. Mickey’s website

I had the pleasure of meeting Bro. Mickey at a summer retreat last year. It was one of those wonderful cross-sections of everything you want a retreat to be: fun, contemplative, spiritual, artistic, creative while bringing you closer to yourself and to G-d.

These are three of his many works: the first is a card; the second was posted on his website.

This third one is in honour of today’s Solemnity of Mary:

I hope you enjoy his work as much as I do.

Recs – Author Jane Breskin Zalben

I know this is a week late for Chanukah, but when I was teaching I was lucky enough to find a series of children’s books by jane Breskin Zalben that were storybooks with animals of the Jewish Holidays.

When I was growing up as a child, there was nothing like this for me and my fellow Jewish children. Christmas had mice and rabbits and deer and all kinds of anthropomorphic animals celebrating Christmas. The Jewish holiday books that were available to me were serious. Chanukah was about the Macabees and not having enough oil, and it was a nice holiday and important, but where were the singing mice lighting the candles?

Jane Breskin Zalben changed all that for me, and after I had my own kids, I finally had a child-like book to show my kids the animal kids that celebrated the same holidays we did in much the same ways. It made my life more mainstream and not at the foggy window looking in.

Beni’s First Chanukah (my introduction to the author)

Papa’s Latkes (Chanukah)

Pearl’s Eight Days of Chanukah

Porcupine’s Christmas Blues

Beni’s Family Treasury

Beni’s Family Cookbook for the Jewish Holidays

Pearl Plants a Tree (Tu B’Sh’Vat)

Pearl’s Passover

Pearl’s Marigolds for Grandpa (sitting shiva)

Happy New Year, Beni

Happy Passover, Rosie

Leo & Blossom’s Sukkah