Welcoming the Weekend

*Photo by Ann Street Studio

What a week it has been. No combination of words are expansive enough and expressive enough to describe what many of us have been feeling.

For many years, our country (ourselves included) didn't feel comfortable talking about racism, hate, violence and bigotry. Today, we have no choice but to talk about them and face these challenges head-on. As awful and scary as current events have been, we are encouraged by the compassion and connection we have felt in conversations recently. We also feel inspired to take action by the many advocacy groups hard at work out there. This week we found ourselves with so many links we want to share, so we thought maybe we could make a weekly practice out of this. We hope these links will help shine some light on the darkness many of us have been feeling lately.

Tonight for Shabbat, we will be participating in a nationwide grassroots movement called #TogetherattheTable by OneTable and hosted by The Shalon. You can host your own meal this weekend, (regardless of whether or not you are Jewish!) or any other day, really. Here's a helpful guide OneTable created for respectful conversations.

8 Ways to Help After Charlottesville- including podcasts, articles and a list of civil rights organizations.

Healthy ways to deal with the endless violent news cycle.

If you are in San Francisco, this exhibit on Japanese American Incarceration during World War II was incredible and sadly still very relevant today. 

This post on a healing chicken okra stew by Tori Avey. The recipe is from The Cooking Gene by Michael Twitty, a renowned gay, Black and Jewish Southern culinary historian. 

For our Jewish friends: 8 things to do now to prepare for the High Holy Days.

This fascinating podcast about religion Debbie Millman's Design Matters with Krista Tippet totally widened my perspective. It's not new, but new to me!

If you are looking for something heartwarming and nourishing to listen to after the last week's events, my incredibly talented friend Matt was featured on one of our favorite podcasts.

Wishing you a healing weekend full of meaningful connection with your loved ones... And inspiration to repair the world, in your own ways.