Hooray Weekly

Go inside the private sanctuary of my backyard garden with me and enjoy the story I tell of both disruption and peace. I promise you a nugget of gold in the story (which I hope) provides guidance in our tumultuous times.

You've got eight minutes. Spend it with a friend.

Remember, I love you. I really, REALLY love you.

Lee Ann

For More Love, Listen and Share these Gems from the Hooray Weekly Garden:

Moments: Good Night

Hug Diary: June 26, 2018

Moments: The Phone Call

News is hard. Hugs are easy. Or are they?

Join me as I tell you about a recent day-in-the-life-of-Lee Ann story.

I know that the assaults upon us individually and communally have been great lately, so stick close together.  Listen to people who love you.  (I am one of them!)  And never forget why you are here on this Earth.  You and I are here in this small speck of time and space to love.  That is my mantra.  You know that by now if you've been listening to this podcast.

Enjoy this short story.

And remember, I love you.  I really, REALLY love you.

Lee Ann

P.S.  If you liked this story, you might like these!

Moments: Good Night

Moments: 6th-Floor Wave

Moments: The Phone Call

For this podcast episode, I (Lee Ann) sat down with Rabbis Nina Beth Cardin, Edwin Goldberg and Rhoda Harrison and discussed the upcoming Passover holiday. While my guests were from different denominations and backgrounds, it was delightful to learn of the similarities with which they all viewed this particular Jewish holiday, as well as their commitment to the same social justice issues that ring across the millennia and their openness to the varieties of Seder experiences.

Rabbi/Cantor Rhoda Harrison is the first voice you’ll hear today…She has her Ph.D. in Jewish Studies from the Baltimore Hebrew Institute at Towson University.  Her dissertation investigated the accommodation of liturgy to modernity. Not only is she a smart and compassionate rabbi, Jewish educator and liturgist, but she is also a cantor with a glorious lyric coloratura voice.  Currently, she serves at Har Sinai as Education Director, but at the beginning of her career she was Har Sinai’s cantor. She also served for years as the rabbi and spiritual leader of Temple Emmanuel of Baltimore.  When not at temple you can find Rhoda doing crossfit and working on her cabaret repertoire. Her next cabaret performance at Germano's (in Baltimore) is June 16th, 2018. Find out more HERE!

Next is Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin-- prolific writer, educator, social activist and environmentalist, who has, as it were, a “community pulpit” instead of a “congregational pulpit”. In Baltimore she has founded and lead numerous organizations, including the Jewish Women’s Resource Center, the Baltimore Jewish Environmental Network and the Baltimore Orchard Project. As an author, she has a few publications to her name! She fashions spiritual resources from the Jewish tradition and makes them relevant for the post-modern world in which we live. Some of her works include: Visions of Holiness in the Everyday; Tears of Sorrow, Seeds of Hope: A Jewish Spiritual Companion for Infertility and Pregnancy Loss; The Tapestry of Jewish Time: A Spiritual Guide to Holidays and Life-Cycle Events; and, Rediscovering the Jewish Holidays: Traditions in a Modern Voice. Currently she is in the middle of writing her next book, simply titled, Rabbi.

And finally, Rabbi Edwin Goldberg-- senior rabbi at Temple Sholom in Chicago. He has served congregations in Coral Gables, Florida, Los Angeles and Cincinnati. He is the author of many books, including: Midrash for Beginners, Heads and Tales: Stories of the Sages to Enlighten Our Minds, Swords and Plowshares: Jewish Views of War and Peace, Love Tales from the Talmud, Saying No and Letting Go: Jewish Wisdom on Making Room for What Matters Most. He has served as the Coordinating Editor of the new Reform Jewish Machzor, Mishkan HaNefesh. A companion commentary, Divrei Mishkan HaNefesh, edited by Rabbi Goldberg, is due out this spring.

Order of Show:

PART 1: THE EXODUS STORY

PART II: THE TELLING

PART III: SCRUBBING BUBBLES AND HAMETZ

PART IV: STEPPING THROUGH THE DOOR

PART V: MAKING THE OLD STORY NEW

PART VI:  WHAT IF?

Thank Yous!

Big, heartfelt thanks go out to those who made this episode possible with their assistance. First, to the guests who took time out of their busy lives to talk with me. My love and appreciation to Rabbis Cardin, Harrison and Goldberg. For the musical interludes between the episode segments, Craig Taubman is the gifted musical artist to whom we owe such gratitude. You will want to hear all of his work at Craignco.com, but if you don't do anything else, pick up/stream/find/GET his album, Passover Lounge. He and his colleagues are impacting the world one event, song, inspiration and ripple at a time.

To friends and colleagues, Herb Levy, Kim Sit, and Alexander Laurin, who gave me advice as I put this episode together--thank you!

And to my brother, John Hopkins,

Today is a story about family life and the odd, wonderful gifts that come out of the dysfunction. Lee Ann mines the rituals of family and gives us a beautiful ode to love, with music by John Hopkins.

It's got a little something extra at the end, so enjoy this seven-minute love story that will both delight you and bring a wee smile to your face.

 

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Thanks to John Hopkins of JustJohn Music for his musical handiwork that wraps the story up like it's being finished with a bow. The musical piece at the end of today's story was something that John sent to me several years ago after a phone call that ended with our family's signature ritual.  He's a witty wonder and talented artist/producer.  Please check out his work HERE.

If you enjoyed what you heard, please subscribe and share this upbeat and positive podcast with others.  That's how love is spread--one person at a time!

And remember,

Love. Changes. Everything.

We get help from our mystic and poet friends today as we celebrate love and passion: love of self, love of others and love of God. Lee Ann is joined in this episode by poet-lawyer, Andrea Grill. Enjoy this poetry in all its naked beauty!

The Works and Their Poetry:

 

The Hope of Loving by Meister Eckhart

 

What keeps us alive, what allows us to endure?

I think it is the hope of loving

Or being loved.

 

I heard a fable once about the sun going on a journey

To find its source, and how the moon wept

Without her lover’s

Warm gaze.

 

We weep when light does not reach our hearts.  We wither

Like fields if someone close

Does not rain their

Kindness

Upon us.

 

Love Does That by Meister Eckhart

 

All day long a little burro labors, sometimes

With heavy loads on her back and sometimes just with worries

About things that bother only

Burros.

 

And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting

Than physical labor.

 

Once in a while a kind monk comes

To her stable and brings

A pear, but more

Than that,

 

He looks into the burro’s eyes and touches her ears

 

And for a few seconds the burro is free

And even seems to laugh

 

Because love does

That.

 

Love frees.

 

“Dig Here,” the Angel Said by St. John of the Cross

 

She caught me off guard when my soul said to me,

“Have we met?”

 

So surprised I was to hear her speak like that

I chuckled.

 

She began to sing a tale: “There was once a hardworking man

Who used to worry so much because he could

not feed and clothe his children and

wife the way he wanted.

 

There was a beautiful little chapel in the village

where the man lived and one day while

he was praying, an angel

appeared.

 

The angel said, ‘Follow me.’  And he did, out into an ancient forest.

‘Now dig here,” the angel said.  And the man felt strength in

his limbs he had not known since youth and found a

lost treasure, and his relationship

with the world changed.”

 

Finding our soul’s beauty does that—gives us

tremendous freedom

from worry.

 

“Dig here,” the angel said—

“in your soul,

In your

Soul.”

 

 

God Says Yes to Me by Kaylin Haught

 

I asked God if it was okay to be melodramatic

and she said yes

I asked her if it was okay to be short

and she said it sure is

I asked her if I could wear nail polish

or not wear nail polish

and she said honey

she calls me that sometimes

she said you can do just exactly

what you want to

Thanks God I said

And is it even okay if I don’t paragraph

my letters

Sweetcakes God said

who knows where she picked that up

what I’m telling you is

Yes Yes Yes

 

What story or stories are you telling yourself right this moment about yourself, your past, your future? What kind of tales are you spinning about others? What myths do you hold about the world and the current state-of-affairs?

Today, Lee Ann looks at story and shares how she switches the script in order to tell better stories about herself and those around her.

From the Episode:

Two Birds (Lee Ann Hopkins)

 

There are two theologies that arise--

Two birds taking flight

from the clay below.

One rises in song,

One with broken wing.

 

The poor one pecking its fallen self

as the songbird hears only

the call of God's whisper:

"Oh you are good--

You, oh lovely creature!"

 

Divinity offered mirrored

words to the limp:

"Darling, you are holy;

fly my sweet, my innocent!"

To which he finds a worm in the apple.

 

Then the showers come

and the showers go.

Will they reek destruction or

will there be flowers and a rainbow?

That, my friend, all depends on where your bird's story begins.

 

Announcement:

Get your weekly "love letter" from Lee Ann. These weekly words arrive in your email box every Monday morning. They are like the anonymous love notes that Lee Ann leaves in the Metro, on the trains and in public spaces in the DC area. Why anonymous love notes? Because we never know the struggles of another or their hope and dreams unrealized...but we can add some light and love, even if anonymously to remind the holder that there is always hope. So since you will likely not find your own anonymous love note on the train, why not get a love letter anyway and start your week off with some encouragement? Click here to get yours!

Happy New Year!  Lee Ann has a short, SHORT story to get you started off right. And no surprise here--the story is about love!

The story is called "Love 2.0", and the script is below to read again later!  May self-love be your starting point this year as you disentangle irrelevant, old and useless programs like low self-esteem, grudges and resentments. 

Love 2.0--author unknown

Tech Support: Yes Ma'am, how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your heart. Have you located your heart, Ma'am?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running Ma'am?

Customer: Let's see, I have past-hurt, low self-esteem, grudge, and resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase past-hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override low self-esteem with a module of it's own called high self- esteem. However, you have to completely turn off grudge and resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off Ma'am?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until grudge and resentment have completely erased.

Customer: Okay done, Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error-program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry, Ma'am, It means the Love program is setup to run on internal hearts but has not yet been run on your heart. In nontechnical terms, it means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down the Self-acceptance tab; then click on the following: Forgive-self; Realize your worth; Acknowledge your limitations.

Customer: OK, done.

Tech Support: Now copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete verbose self-criticism from all directories and empty your recycle bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey!!! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets downloaded at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang-up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: I promise to do just that.

***

Hooray Weekly is Freeware, so subscribe and share on Stitcher, Apple or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

There's a brand new community page for Hooray Weekly on Facebook, so check it out for the Facebook Live Streaming, resources, encouragement, and, of course, fun.

The Velveteen Rabbit is a classic. It's a must-read as a child AND as an adult.

Margery Williams (also known as Margery Williams Bianco) wrote this children's book in 1922 about a stuffed rabbit and his desire to become real. The subtitle "How Toys Become Real" points the reader and listener to the truth. That truth conveyed through a small bunny in a boy's life can change all of us. Listen closely for the wisdom of Skin Horse and the Nursery Magic Fairy as Lee Ann reads this timeless story to you and yours.

Share it with the little ones and the BIG ones in your life. They will thank you...

And if you want a copy of the book for your kids or yourself, here is an excellent version from 1958:

The Velveteen Rabbit (or How Toys Become Real) -- Margery Williams (with original illustrations by William Nicholson)

****

Have a story suggestion, ideas for Hooray Weekly, requests or recommendations for improvement? Or maybe simply something nice to say? Send your thoughts to Lee Ann by clicking HERE!  Thank you!

 

Feeling a bit anxious in these dark and tumultuous times? You're not alone! Listen in as Lee Ann shares two stories from her Icelandic travels that speak to the hope and light that we all need. It is the season of hope, light and expectation after all!

From Lee Ann:

Dear, dear Hooray Family and Friends,

May you know that my love and gratitude are with you during these holidays (whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa or Christmas or something altogether different and unique)! In fact, I hope you know that I send you love every day, not just the holidays and celebratory times. You are special indeed. (Do you know that to be true? If not, I must continue to remind you.)

I am coming up on an anniversary...It will be a YEAR of publishing the Hooray Weekly in a few weeks! Yahoo! Thank you for listening and sharing the podcast with others. There is much on the horizon for this podcast and this community of progressive seekers. I will be doing interviews of spiritual teachers, peace-makers, poets and lovers. I will have more storytellers share their special gifts with us. And I will continue traveling this journey arm-in-arm with you and others just as I have from Day-One. (We are just getting started!)

Since I won't be with you next week (there is no planned episode being published), I invite you to listen again (or maybe for the first time) to the prior episodes since they are evergreen and pertinent for almost any time of the year. Don't miss all the love and encouragement from your friend.

I know that I'll be binge-listening to some of the podcasts I've missed (of my podcast friends) this next week! So enjoy.

Friends, be on the lookout for giveaways, sign-ups for a weekly love note from me, live streaming on Facebook and other upcoming events. As always, you can reach me via email-->HERE and find the show on Facebook (Hooray Weekly also, The Hooray Daily) and webpage, www.hoorayweekly.com .

Again, I thank you for your love and support. Let's grow, together, in 2018!

And always remember, I love you. I really, REALLY love you!

Lee Ann

P.S. Be the love and support that I know you are...and share these podcasts and offerings with friends and family...and even those you aren't on good terms with! Maybe they need an injection of love! Give it to 'em! You'll be glad you did!

Special Thanks for Today's Episode:

To the beautiful people and nation of Iceland, for being a beacon of hope to the world.

To Heidi, Estrid and the staff at both National Museum of Iceland and the Tourist Information Center in Reykjavik-- for your help, for your kindness and for your friendship to all who encounter you on a daily basis.

To "Willie" and Sasa of Gray Line Tours, people who make wishes come true.

"Yes" is a superpower in our world of "No!" This meditation is a musing about my favorite word. Find out why! Maybe you'll learn to like it as much as I do.

The wonderful quote Lee Ann referred to in this episode:

"Living is not a private affair of the individual. Living is what [man] does with God's time, what [man] does with God's world."--Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel

A Shameless (well, one could argue with that!) Plug:

...for You Are All That: Creating a Great Life with Affirmations and Hooray for You: 365 Get-Up-and-Go-Go Quotes for Your Year--

"These two books by your friend, host and teacher, Lee Ann should be on every Kindle and in every stocking to start the New Year off right!"--a reader who wants to be anonymous

Can I just say how much I dislike self-promotion in our 24/7 Branded World? (Everything is a brand with no substance anymore--okay that's me ranting...) Anyway, I may not like self-promotion, but I do love you and hope that you will pick up copies of these books for yourself and those you love...because they are good and useful!  No other reason!

I love you and thank you.

Lee Ann

Other Meditations in this Series:

Meditation on Inner Peace (An honest-to-goodness guided meditation! Get comfy and enjoy!)

Meditation on Otherness

Meditation on Friendship

Meditation on Gratitude

Meditation on Power and Powerlessness