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Iris Ruth Pastor

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Category: Blog

A Sudden Death Leap-Frogs Me Into Action

June 2, 2017June 3, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

The headlines scream tragedy after tragedy: Taxi Driver Stabbed to Death at Gas Station.      Gunman Causes Chaos in Casino Then Kills Self.           Motorcyclist Killed in Township Crash. We become immune to the vagaries of fate until it hits close to home. I’m reminded of this as we head Continue reading

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Three Stories That Will Change Your View on Memorial Day Forever

May 25, 2017May 26, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

I feel like I’m back in fifth grade writing a report on Memorial Day for Mrs. Norcross’s class. After school, I would lug my orange ceramic bowl full of Oreos and my plastic cup of apple juice into the living room to snuggle/struggle with the daunting set of Encyclopedia Britannica. I knew my mom would Continue reading

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Amidst an Ending, Starting Anew

May 17, 2017May 19, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

All around the country, words of wisdom have been spewing forth from high school and college podiums by an eclectic group of speakers.  These bold-face dignitaries share nuggets of thoughts and observations designed to provoke and prod the graduate towards new levels of awareness as he makes the transition onto a  new life path – Continue reading

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A Mundane Day With My Mom, Or Is It?

May 11, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

It’s nice to be someone’s daughter – at age fifty-five.   While my friends may be turning to friends for advice on their middle-schooler who has just pierced her navel or a teen-age son who is hell bent on touring the volatile Middle East this summer, I’ve got my mom as my compass and anchor. Continue reading

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When Someone You Love Leaves

May 5, 2017May 5, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

Photo Credit: transplanbuddies.org Over the years I’ve written many columns on my life with my  children.    A soccer mom’s Sunday    Is an awful lot like Monday    It’s prying and vying and sighing and trying    To get everything done    That needs to be done I’ve written about running a household.   Continue reading

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Six Words You Should Never Say

April 26, 2017April 27, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

Imagine the following happening to you. Your  teenage son crashed his Jeep into a guard rail and an ambulance is whisking him to the nearest Emergency Room The surgeon just finished telling you that your 75 year-old father has an advanced case of prostate cancer and suggests starting treatment immediately You feel a lump while Continue reading

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What’s Heaven Really Like?

April 21, 2017April 25, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

I arrived in Heaven six hours late. It was dark. My neck muscles were tight with tension.  And I was still brooding about the American Express bill I had forgotten to pay. A well-built young man dressed casually in a T-shirt and cargo shorts greeted me at the Gate. I felt my shoulders loosen up Continue reading

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New Beginnings are Tantalizing

April 6, 2017April 7, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

I was seated  in the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. I was surrounded by a sea of fans wearing red jerseys, red jackets and red hats with a big “C”. I proudly sang the National Anthem, with my right hand over my heart. I eagerly watch my hometown team, The Cincinnati Reds, march Continue reading

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The story behind this mundane and ordinary picture will surprise you.

March 30, 2017March 30, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

The woman, with her hands lightly resting on the man’s shoulders, is me. I am telling a story about two very seemingly un-momentous and un-connected decisions that nevertheless had lasting consequences. The man is Gary. He and I started dating in 1966 when I was a sophomore transfer student at the University of Florida and Continue reading

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Is the constant urge to do better, be better and live better tiring you out?

March 16, 2017March 17, 2017 Iris Ruth Pastor

Betterhumans.coach.me I am a time-efficiency crazy person. My aim is to pack everything I can into every moment. That’s why Fitbit is so satisfying a way to get in my exercise. It’s a device that automatically counts the number of my steps each day. It’s portable—I clip it onto my underpants and check the Fitbit Continue reading

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Incidentally, Iris

For the past ten years, Iris’s “Incidentally Iris” column has appeared in The American Israelite, a weekly newspaper for Cincinnati’s Jewish community and the American Jewish community. Founded as The Israelite on July 15,1854, by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the paper today is the oldest English-Jewish weekly in America and the second oldest in the world. (The London Jewish Chronicle was founded in 1841.) Read Incidentally, Iris columns on The American Israelite
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