My father told us all the story of the broken relationship between his mother and her father, my great grandfather. It seems that my Grandma Effie as a young teen took a shine to one of the Rumbolz boys that settled in the Ethan, SD area. The youngest, Ernest, was in his late teens when they met. Her father did not approve. Turns out those Rumbolz boys were a little rough around the edges. They drank some and ran around. They were carousers and a girl raised in a strict Methodist household was not to have anything to do with … Continue reading Good Morning 2-29-24

Yesterday’s prayer service at school centered around the Prodigal Son. You may be familiar with the story of a man and his two sons. The younger son selfishly asked dad for his inheritance early and then ran off to spend it prodigiously on a wanton life of hedonism. When things went south, as they often do if you make poor choices, the son returned home only to be welcomed by his father with open arms. A calf was killed and a party ensued. The older brother was perhaps rightfully miffed by it all. First, according to the law at that … Continue reading Good Morning 2-28-24

Our nephew who is now all grown up was a super active and curious child. From the time he was just a little guy, he would burst into our house and walk through the kitchen turning all the buttons and knobs that he could reach. That meant turning on the stove burners, starting the dishwasher and generally seeing if he could make things go. He was a master at taking things apart, but not so much at putting them back together. At Grandpa and Grandma’s he was fascinated with the firepit and close supervision was always necessary, because no one … Continue reading Good Morning 2-27-24

Saturday was, in the words of Judith Viorst, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. I learned a couple of weeks ago that I missed taking a required in-person training on ensuring a safe student environment. Somehow, though I’d completed all the other training, it was missed that I didn’t complete this class. Our HR person was adamant that it had to be completed prior to the 2nd week of March (audit coming up) and I could go online and pick where and when. I perused the list and the sessions were all in other cities and were either … Continue reading Good Morning 2-26-24

Synagogues have a different financial structure than Christian churches. In the church, the plate is passed each week and people dig in their pockets or purses to put a little something into it. Of course, you can’t run a budget on the hope that the sermon will move more than just hearts, so there is a pledging period, usually in the fall, during which the congregants promise to tithe something to the church. Tithe is perhaps an incorrect word to use since it technically refers to a one-tenth contribution of a person’s income and I’m going to guess that it’s … Continue reading Good Morning 2-25-24

There is absolutely nothing built without a plan. Whether it’s a house or a car or a spacecraft, there needs to be a blueprint of some sort that tells you how and where to put it all together and what you should do to make it work. Even on the house remodeling shows, Hillary Farr or the Property Brothers or even that cute Marrs couple with their half dozen children and goats and sheep and chickens everywhere, need to have a plan before they go in and demolish the walls in someone’s house to give them that open concept they … Continue reading Good Morning 2-23-24

In Dr. Viktor Frankl’s famous book “Man’s Search for Meaning,” he tells of an American doctor who turned up in his office in Vienna asking what school of psychological theory he stood for. Frankl replied that it was his own theory and he called it logotherapy. When the visiting doctor asked him to describe in one sentence what logotherapy was or at least explain the difference between psychoanalysis and his logotherapy, Frankl, in true Jewish fashion, answered the question with a question: “Yes, but in the first place, can you tell me in one sentence what you think the essence … Continue reading Good Morning 2-22-24

On Sunday we attended the fourth session of a series on the Advice from the Rebbe. The first was about faith as it relates to the work you do. The second session dealt with faith and family life. Last week was all about faith as it relates to your physical health. In this fourth session we learned about faith and one’s emotional health. The lesson focused on three different stories of people who went to the Rebbe for advice regarding an emotional issue–anxiety self-recrimination, and jealousy. In each instance, the Rebbe–who was not a psychologist or psychiatrist–had an interesting take … Continue reading Good Morning 2-21-24

Hair and clothes–that’s how teenagers rebel. I remember the mini dresses of the 1960’s and 70’s. Thanks a lot, Mary Quant. You caused more battles at home than just about any other designer. I remember standing in the living room just before an 8th grade Y-Teens dance while my mother, at my father’s insistence, let down the hem of my new yellow dress. Our school district didn’t approve pants for girls until after my sophomore year. Jeans weren’t allowed even then. Boys had to wear collars and their shirts had to be tucked. It was a different time and we … Continue reading Good Morning 2-20-24

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” That was Juliet to Romeo in Shakespeare’s famous play. She was complaining about the fact that it was his name that prevented them from coming together. He was of the house of Montague and she was a Capulet. She begged him from her balcony to “Deny thy father and refuse thy name” so they could fulfill their love. Romeo, in true star-crossed lover fashion, replied, “I take thee at thy word: Call me but love and I’ll be new baptized. Henceforth I … Continue reading Good Morning 2-19-24