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Are you interested in spiritual guidance?
Our parish has a team of certified spiritual guides under the direction of our parochial vicar, Fr. Mike Mitchell.
What is Spiritual Guidance?
Many people are seeking to grow spiritually and to experience a deeper relationship with God. They long to find meaning and a purpose in their lives, or perhaps they have a need to discern an important life decision. Spiritual guidance offers an opportunity to fulfill these yearnings and desires and to answer some of the deeper questions about life.
A spiritual guide is a companion on a person's journey of faith. The guide has the privilege and the responsibility to help people discover the presence and action of God in their daily lives. Sessions are scheduled at regular intervals, often monthly.
In a welcoming atmosphere and a confidential and safe environment, the guide encourages those who want to grow closer to God to explore ways that help them experience that closeness.
What are the benefits and graces of spiritual guidance?
Spiritual guidance offers a safe and non-judgmental venue for sharing one's hopes, dreams and struggles. Being able to "bounce ideas off" another person can always be helpful, as is seeking wise advice from those who may have walked a certain road before. One is helped to sort things out by listening to the guides feedback and suggestions.
A personal transformation gradually takes place. He or she may become more hopeful and serene. Maybe they notice that they are more generous toward others or more accepting of people. Perhaps they see that they are more forgiving and less anxious and controlling.
Having a supportive companion and guide on our spiritual journey helps us to take stock of our lives and to notice how God gently moves us toward an ever-closer relationship with Him.
What happens during a session of spiritual guidance?
Each session usually begins with a short prayer asking for God's presence and guidance. The Holy Spirit is the true Guide, the unseen Guest, who is always present during these sessions. A person might need help in identifying and trusting his or her own experiences of God.
The guide will listen with care and respect and perhaps help the person to pay attention to how God communicates with him or her. Another person may be in need of affirmation to be able to see how he or she has been graced by God with unique and special gifts. Sometimes the guide will gently encourage someone to give up certain masks or pretenses that are obstacles on the spiritual journey. Oftentimes the guide will provide clarity, insight and help with discernment, especially during crossroads and transitions in life.
The sessions last about an hour, are completely free, and often include some "homework" for the month.
Who offers spiritual guidance at St. Gabriel?
The spiritual guides at St. Gabriel have a strong spiritual life and show a deep understanding of the human person. They must demonstrate a profound self-awareness, must exhibit a pastoral approach to encouraging gradual moral and spiritual development, and must respect both the truths of the moral and spiritual life and the unique dignity and goodness of each person. They receive ongoing formation and supervision from Fr. Mike Mitchell.
TO REQUEST SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE, use the contact links in the "Meet and Contact our Spiritual Guides" section below.
Meet and Contact our Spiritual Guides
Fr. Mike Mitchell
Craig Bischoff
Patricia Hennessy
Ashley Olik
Deacon Larry O'Toole
Judy O'Toole
Fr. Mike was ordained as a priest in 2011. He has a degree in humanities from Salamanca, Spain, a licentiate in philosophy and a STB in theology from the Pontifical University Regina Apostolorum. He finished further studies in theology at Holy Apostles College in Connecticut and in spiritual accompaniment at the University of Francisco de Victoria in Madrid, Spain. He has led dozens of retreats, spiritual exercises and provided spiritual guidance to many. His books include I Saw His Face and a forthcoming book, A Time for Apostles.
As a spiritual guide, Fr. Mike walks with those that wish to go deeper in their faith and climb higher up the mountain of God. He also helps with vocational discernment both for the priesthood and for religious life.
To request guidance from Fr. Mike, contact him here.
Craig Bischoff was born in Scottsburg, Indiana and raised in Atlanta. He served in the US Navy from 1990-1994, and traveled to Europe, Africa, and South America. Following the Navy, Craig graduated from Georgia Tech and Emory University. In 1999, Craig was received into the Catholic Church at the Cathedral of Christ the King. Craig is married to his wife Michelle, and they have two children and two adorable grandchildren.
Craig has been a parishioner of St. Mark Catholic Church in Huntersville since 2013. In 2018, Craig completed the Lay Ministry Formation Program with the Diocese of Charlotte. In 2020, Craig completed his coursework for the Spiritual Direction Certificate Program at Divine Mercy University, and is currently in practicum. Craig has been providing spiritual guidance since 2017.
As a spiritual guide, Craig serves men who wish to grow deeper in the prayer life, understanding of the faith, as well as to grow in their roles as husbands and fathers.
To request guidance from Craig, contact him here.
Patricia has been a parishioner of St. Gabriel for 20 years. She grew up in Philadelphia and married her husband Bill in 1965. They have 5 children, 12 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.
She has a BA in Sociology from the University of South Carolina. In 2014, Patricia entered the 2-year program at Our Lady of Divine Providence School (OLDP) of Spiritual Direction in Clearwater, FL. This program is associated with Franciscan University of Steubenville and is a combination of academic study and personal healing. In 2016, after completing the program, Patricia received her certification as a spiritual guide.
As part of her continuing education, Patricia attends graduate seminars given by OLDP twice a year and participates in the mentoring program for student-directors during their practicum.
As a spiritual guide, Patricia serves women with whom she meets as a companion on their journey of faith, encouraging them in their prayer life and helping them to see how God has been present and active in their lives.
To request guidance from Patricia, contact her here.
Ashley is a Charlotte native and became a St. Gabriel's parishioner in 2020. Her unusual high school career led her through Charlotte Catholic HS, homeschooling, and a boarding school in New England for young women who want to jump-start vocational discernment to lay consecrated life. During her time of formal discernment after high school, Ashley completed 2 years of a BA in Religious and Pastoral Studies. However, God called her back to Charlotte to discern religious life more broadly, and she completed a BA in Psychology from Belmont Abbey College. God then nudged her in a different direction vocationally, and she married her husband Thomas in October, 2019.
As the oldest of 5 children, Ashley found herself in many natural mentoring positions growing up, and these opportunities only multiplied as she attended, led, and even founded a variety of girls' virtue clubs, retreats, and bible studies for young women. As God placed more and more women on her path with questions about the spiritual life and vocational discernment, Ashley felt called to receive formal training in spiritual direction. She has completed 4 of 6 eight-week intensive courses in the Spiritual Direction Certification Program through Divine Mercy University, and has begun her practicum.
As a spiritual guide, Ashley accompanies young women who wish to go deeper in their life of prayer, as well as those who may be in a moment of discernment. Ashley can help them discover the Holy Spirit's action in their hearts and daily lives, and explore vocational discernment to consecrated and religious life, as well as the call to marriage.
To request spiritual guidance from Ashley Olik,
contact her here.
Deacon Larry O'Toole has been active in ordained ministry for over 25 years. He was born and raised in the South Bronx, NY and has been married to his wife Judy for 57 years. They have 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. He originally served in the Archdiocese of New York before moving to Charlotte in 2010.
Deacon Larry studied at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers where he received diaconate ordination in 1996. He was appointed by Cardinal O'Connor to the chaplaincy of the New York Medical College. He also worked as a Victim's Assistance Coordinator for the archdiocese and as a formation facilitator for the diaconate program.
He continued his studies at the Archdiocese of New York School of Spirituality and Psychology, a certificate program led by Fr. Benedict Groschel OFM, and Dr. Annmarie Wallace. He studied as well at the Institute for Preaching and Liturgy of the Archdiocese of NY, the Fordham University Pastoral Care Program and the Harvard Medical School's Spirituality in Medicine Program.
As a spiritual guide, Deacon Larry walks with those that wish to go deeper in their faith and experience God in their prayer. He brings a wealth of experience from many years of pastoral ministry, and often helps with marriage and family topics.
To request spiritual guidance from Deacon Larry, contact him here.
Judy O'Toole has been a parishioner of St. Gabriel since 2010. She and her husband, Deacon Larry, have three daughters and five grandchildren.
Judy attended the School of Spirituality and Psychology of the Archdiocese of New York led by Fr. Benedict Groschel and Dr. Annmarie Wallace. In the late 70's she attended the Spiritual Development program in the Diocese of Houston Texas.
She also was in the Diaconate Formation Program for candidates and wives at St. Joseph's Seminary in New York.
As a trained mediator for the 9th Judicial District of New York, she did private mediations and also served in small claims court. This fulfilled her desire to bring peaceful solutions to problems within the community.
Through contemplative studies, retreats and training for over 30 years, Judy brings an appreciation of silence and holy listening in her spiritual guidance for one's search for God.
To request spiritual guidance from Judy O'Toole, email her here
"As she has always done, today the Church continues to recommend the practice of spiritual direction not only to those who desire to follow the Lord closely but to every Christian who wishes to live responsibly his or her Baptism, that is, new life in Christ. Everyone, in fact, especially those who have heeded the divine call to follow Christ closely, needs to be accompanied personally by a guide reliable in doctrine and expert in the things of God, this guide can help people to watch out for facile forms of subjectivism, making available their own knowledge and experience lived in the following of Jesus."
Address of Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Theological Faculty "Teresianum", Rome, 19 May 2011


Heartwood offers periodic Shamanic Journey which includes a ceremony and group meditation at our medicine wheel to prepare for connecting to nature and our spirit guides, followed by a shamanic journey meditation in our yoga center (we do this inside so weather and other distractions will not interfere with your experience). You do not need any previous experience, and at each session a bit of time is devoted to helping people learn about the beauty and power of shamanic journeys for guidance & personal health and wellness. These nurturing meditations are a great, gentle introduction to the shamanic journey, perfect for beginners or anyone interested in exploring their relationship with nature, their ancestors, spirit guides or enhancing their own intuition and self knowing.
Somewhat like Yoga Nidra, a shamanic journey is a personal meditation experienced laying down comfortably with a drum or rattle rhythm to help guide you to deeper levels of awareness. Each month a different journey will guide participants to alternate planes of existence where communication with various spirit guides (animal spirits, ancestors, or other guides) help you gain understanding of your life and purpose We offer these journeys in a down-to-earth, easy to understand way, leading participants to the underworld, middle-earth and the upper world because each visualization has a different goal for gaining wisdom and self knowing. Shamanic journeys are relaxing, insightful, and help you feel centered in your personal spirituality. This meditation is deeply steeped in building respect for nature and the positive energies of the spirit world, to rekindle our appreciation and love for the natural world while promoting energetic healing for the community, the individual and the earth.
Come comfortably dressed and you do not need to bring anything other than an open mind.
Journeys are a donation based event and they are scheduled periodically. Please follow our Facebook page or sign up for our e-mails to learn of upcoming events.The best way to stay current with our classes, retreats and events is to download our free Ap from the Apple Ap store - look for: Heartwood Retreat Center.


A series of calculated disasters wherein compositional intent is exercised to varying degrees before and/or after the moment of performance. The Irreproducible Results are single-pass, unedited improvisations featuring borrowed gear configured to maximize complexity and minimize predictability. The remainder are heavily edited constructions utilizing detritus of the aforementioned experiments, with the Pulse Matrices continuing a game of formal telephone begun on Vol. 1.
Tools include oboe, English horn, heckelphone, baritone oboe, microphones, and analogue synthesis.
Many thanks to Lance Grabmiller, Matt Ingalls, Scott Goff, Ernst Karel, Niko Wenner, and the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.


Code Name Beatriz by Lou Cadle is historical fiction done right. I always shy from historical fiction, not because I don't like it, but because it's really hard to get right. That's doubly so when it's one of my favourite and most read periods of history. I've read about SOE agents since finding a copy of Carve Her Name With Pride at my granny's house when I was ten. [See my reviews of Woman in Arms, Vera Atkins biography, and my stories Hunting Nazis and Sticky End.] Lou Cadle has done a great job with Code Name Beatriz.
Starting in the early spring of 1944 it follows an SOE agent with the code name Beatriz (hence the title). Beatriz is a fully rounded and complex character, which makes her interesting. She's not a trope, but a real woman. We see her develop as she starts her operational life in occupied France. Despite her best efforts she cares for the other resistance members. She burns with hatred for the fascists, the Spanish ones as much as the nazis.
Lou Cadle makes no concessions made to being nice, or ignoring parts of life. The story is gritty and very realistic. It has both darkness and light. Beatriz is Spanish, and a refugee from the civil war during which she lost her parents. She married an Englishman, who was posted missing in action. Joining SOE is her way to get revenge on the fascists. The book starts with her completing her training as a wireless operator and being dropped into France in early 1944.
Through the story there are a series of close calls, and several setbacks. We see Beatriz deal with these, her mental state and physical action. She hardens in some ways, as she softens in others. As time passes she moves from expecting to die, as her predecessor did, to hoping for life after the war.
Code Name Beatriz is well researched, I've read dozens of books about SOE in particular and hundreds about WW2, lots of them first-hand accounts by people who survived it. Nothing stood out as being egregiously wrong. I recognised most of the situations as being based on the real stories of SOE Agents, somewhere someone had been through the same thing in a very similar way. That said Code Name Beatriz is a work of fiction, and there are bits that get bent to fit the story. There's also a very good use of suspense in places. One is never sure if any operation is going to come off, and whether Beatriz will survive the war.
It's a perilous life, and there's a suspense to it that kept me reading late into the night to finish it. Lots of things that go wrong, and narrow escapes. Beatriz falls for another agent, and despite this carries on her fight. There's not much left to the imagination, and the suspense carries on to the end. My only disappointment is that this is most likely a stand-alone book, there's not loads of space for a sequel.
If you like good rounded stories, that don't pull punches, then you ought to read Code Name Beatriz. All the more so if you want to understand life in occupied Europe and the risks that the resistance took to help hasten freedom for us all.


83-year-old rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis suffered a stroke recently, and had to postpone his upcoming concert dates. His doctors say he will recover, and he plans to resume touring when his health permits. I sure hope he does.
Imagine being a fly on the wall at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee on Dec. 4, 1956. In an iconic photo taken that day, are Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Elvis had already hit it big, while his three friends were on their way. As their legends grew, they would come to be known as "The Million Dollar Quartet," and there's even a successful musical that documents the era.
His career soon stalled. He married his 13-year-old cousin Myra in 1958, and that didn't go over well. Radio stopped playing his songs, and by the time his fans forgot about the scandal, the Beatles had taken over the music scene, and Jerry Lee's time had passed. He later switched to country music, but he never stopped playing his early hits.
His controversial personal life is depicted, warts and all, in Rick Bragg's book, "Jerry Lee Lewis, His Own Story." Seven wives, six children, and lots of tragedy. Two of his children died young, and a few of the wives died, shall we say, mysteriously. I highly recommend Bragg's book. I doubt you'll ever read about anyone who's had a more interesting, chaotic life.
Here are my two favorite Jerry Lee stories. One is about the origin of his nickname, "The Killer." I always thought it had something to do with his aggressive style of piano playing. He punished those keys. But actually, the nickname comes from his school days. According to Bragg's book, twelve-year-old Jerry Lee showed up for the new school year, and sat down in the 7th grade classroom. There was one problem: he had failed 6th grade. The teacher, a burly football coach, told him to go back to 6th grade. Jerry Lee refused, and the teacher picked him up. Jerry Lee grabbed the teachers' necktie, and pulled hard. It took two football players to drag him off. While the teacher gasped for breath, Jerry Lee was called to the school office. Another boy was waiting to be disciplined, but Jerry Lee's case was more urgent. The principal suspended him for two weeks, saying "Son, we can't have you killing teachers." As he was leaving the school, the other boy said, "See ya later, Killer." A legend was born.
The other story is attributed to various sources, and could have happened anywhere. Jerry Lee's stage act was quite energetic, and he always felt he should be the headliner on a multi-artist show, because he worked the crowd into a frenzy. However, some other big names thought they should be closing the shows too. One night, fellow rock 'n roller Chuck Berry insisted on closing the show. Jerry Lee cussed and stomped, but eventually gave in. He agreed to do his show while the great Chuck Berry waited in the wings.
As usual, Jerry Lee played the piano relentlessly, with both hands, his fists, and his feet. For his grand finale, with the crowd at fever pitch, he set the piano on fire. As he strutted off the stage amid screams and cheers, he looked at Berry and said, "Follow that, pal!" Except he didn't say "pal." Just think of the most colorful naughty word you know, and you'll get the idea.
Get well soon, Killer. You've outlived your old Sun Records buddies, and that's quite a feat. After all you've been through, if you can play the piano with your feet at age 83, there is hope for us all.


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Bill to shield churches that report abusers passes
June 18th, 2019 / By: Diana Chandler | Baptist Press / comments
AUSTIN The Texas Legislature unanimously passed a bill initiated by Southern Baptists to provide civil immunity to churches that disclose credible sex abuse allegations.
The Texas Senate passed House Bill 4345 late May 22 without opposition, two weeks after the House approved the measure and Gov. Greg Abbott signed it into law June 10. The bill is written to protect charitable organizations, their volunteers and independent contractors from liability when disclosing credible allegations to prospective employers, even when no criminal charges have been filed against the accused.
Texas pastor Ben Wright, chairman of the Texas Ethics and Religious Liberty Committee of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, helped initiate the bill.
"For it to go through without opposition in the House and the Senate is pretty remarkable," he told Baptist Press, "especially on an issue where there are a lot of people that have different views on how we ought to deal with these issues.
Wright worked with Bart Barber, pastor of First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas, and others to recruit Rep. Scott Sanford, a Southern Baptist executive pastor, to introduce the bill in March. Travis Wussow, vice president for public policy and general counsel for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, helped draft the legislation to comply with state laws and meet intended purposes.
Wright told BP, "This couldn't have happened if it weren't for the sort of partnering relationships we have in the SBTC.
"This bill, without any of the people who were involved, it probably couldn't have happened," he said. "Obviously Rep. Sanford deserves the lion's share of the credit, but I think it's just a testimony of what we can accomplish when we work together on things, and when we have relationships like we have here in Texas and beyond."
SBTC Executive Director Jim Richards expressed gratitude for the bill.
"We are grateful for the passage of this bill and pray that it will serve to make our church ministries safer," Richards told BP.
The bill is designed to help prevent abusers from continuing the crime in a series of workplaces, Rep. Sanford has said.
"Sexual abuse thrives in secrecy," Sanford noted when the bill passed the House, "and this bill provides the protections for nonprofits to come forward to prevent any future harm."
Informing churches and other nonprofits of the legislation, if it becomes law, is important to its success, Wright told BP.
"This bill doesn't do a lot of good if churches don't realize that they can pass on information to prospective employers," Wright said. "The goal we're all aiming for here is to reduce opportunities for offenders to get further opportunities to commit crimes and misconduct. We need to get the word out for the legislation to have that effect."
Wright also believes the bill could serve as a model for other states.
"We would hope that other pastors, other legislators in other states would see what's been possible here in Texas, and use similar strategies and help protect the vulnerable," Wright said. "We had representatives and senators urging us, thanking us as Southern Baptists for our engagement on this issue and on a wider range of issues. And I know in a lot of other state legislatures there'd be similar sentiment."
The bill "would make charitable organizations and their employees or volunteers immune from civil liability for good-faith disclosure to an individual's current or prospective employer," according to the official House bill analysis, "information reasonably believed to be true about allegations that the individual, while an employee or volunteer of the charitable organization, engaged in sexual misconduct, sexually abused another individual, sexually harassed another individual, or otherwise committed a sexual offense or an offense of public indecency."
The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops and Texas Private Schools Association are among others who supported the bill.
The bill's full text is available at capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


This is the first sound recording of a President. More importantly and as one YouTube commentator points out, "Calvin Coolidge produced a budget surplus every single year of his presidency and cut the national debt by 1/3. He is the last president to balance the budget every year. He also drastically reduced tax rates (four times) and revenue increased." During the Coolidge years the purchasing power of wages increased 10%, consumer prices fell and unemployment was 3.5 %. But in Coolidge we had a President who actually wanted America to prosper.


A huge huge congrats to the Smartaupairs au pair of the year 2017-18 winner EVELIEN from Holland.
Each year, Smartaupairs chooses one au pair who has really gone the extra 1000 miles to help their host family to win the Smartaupairs of the year award. Upon reading both the nomination letter and Evelien's own account, you will no doubt understand why Evelien has been chosen as the winner.
Evelien Kerkhof has been far more than your average au pair over the past 18 months, she's been a key part of our family and helped get us through the worst year of our lives.
Eefje arrived in the UK from the Netherlands in October 2016 to join our us and our two boys, Alex (8) and George (5) in Surrey. Her primary role was to look after them as well as support our busy working lives. She rapidly bonded with all of us and quickly took control of the kid's school and extra curricular routines as well as helping around the house. She'd only been living with us for 8 weeks when our lives were dramatically changed over night with the discovery of a lump on our youngest son George's back.
In January 2017 George went on to be diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer, a soft tissue PNET Ewing's Sarcoma to be precise. It was a huge shock to everybody as George was a perfectly fit and well, happy little boy up to this point. We would have more than understood if Eefje wanted to leave us - it was so much for us to take on let alone a teenager on a gap year to comprehend - yet amazingly she stayed and made it clear she wanted to help as much as she could.
Just when we needed her the most she stepped up in every way possible. Everything from evenings when chemo treatments meant we weren't able to get home to collect our other son from school or put him to bed she was there for us. On the many scary infections George had, which meant we dashed out the house with him in the middle of the night sometimes, she was flexible and took everything in her stride. Not least her being there to help give both of us a break on the odd occasion.
There are far too many examples where she exceeded herself and gave us much needed support to mention all of them but in the summer of 2017 she excelled herself even more than she ever had before.
Halfway through George's treatment plan it was decided George would need major spinal surgery. This meant he required round the clock care and essentially needed both of us parents there. His surgery took place at the Royal National Orthopeadic Hospital in North London, a good two hour drive from our Surrey home.
What was predicted to be two weeks recovery ended up taking seven! We tried our best for one of us to be at home as much as possible to support Alex but Eefje essentially soon became the most consistent person in our eldest son's daily life. We simply don't know what we would have done without her.
When we finally all returned home George was now in a wheelchair and, by this point, a very different little man to the George she first met. Again, Eefje took everything in her stride and played with him, helping him get in and out of the chair and eventally mobile again.
Shortly after that the NHS sent us to America for Proton therapy - unfortunately she couldn't come with us on this part of the journey - however she was able to stay in our house for the time we were away which was amazing to be able to trust someone so much to look after our house and life in the UK.
On our return she continued her amazing work with the boys and in February 2018 we got the fantastic news that George had 'no evidence of disease'. There's no doubt in our minds that her sunny disposition and fun nature has played a massive role in both getting our son better and keeping our family strong throughout this difficult time.
She leaves us this May 2018 to start her Uni career and we will truly miss her. Undoubtably she will leave a big hole in our lives. We're sure that these past 18 months haven't been anything like what she would have imagined when she first started life as an au pair, but we're truly blessed that she chose us in the first place let alone to stay with us on our cancer journey.
The first moment I saw George, one of my new host children, he had his arms wide open to hug me as I stepped into arrivals at the airport. From that moments I knew this aupair experience would be a unforgettable one. It definitely was, but not in a way I expected.
After I had been living with them for eight weeks and we found out about George's tumour. From the moment they told me, I knew that I wanted to stay no matter what. Like I said I felt like a member of the family I just couldn't leave them in this situation.
When his cancer treatment started they made sure everything was okay for me, enough food, clear instructions for Alex and things like that. They checked on me a lot, and asked me of I was still okay with the situation? This for me was a difficult time. It was just me and Alex, we grew so close to each other, more then I could have ever imagine. He was not just my host child, he became my best friend, my little brother!!
In the meantime they were trying to carry out more bits with the renovation of the house. Which I think was something incredible, even with all of George's cancer going on they still found the power to do it. But not only that, they also started another project called "George and the Giant Pledge." They wanted to give something back to the hospital and make something good out of their bad situation, so the Woodall's decided that they are going to raise 1.000.000 pounds to help beat childhood cancer and help other families. Their strength to do this and really go for it, whiles they where going throw such horrible time was incredible to see.
After several rounds of chemo, George had changed a lot, this was so hard. He was still the same boy but yet so different. He had lost weight, all his hair and looked very poorly and pale. It was so challenging to deal with, but this was just the beginning…! I was lucky to live in an area with a lot of other aupair's. I had made some really good friends and they helped me a lot to deal with this situation. We would meet nearly every day when our host children were at school and this was the time to talk about everything that was going on but also to just have fun and to (nearly) forget everything that was going on.
In June George had his big operation which meant afterwards he was going to have to learn to walk again which meant that he had to stay in the hospital away from home for a long time.
This is when my host parents came back even less and Alex and I were together a lot more.
It was hard, but all the parents from the boys school were really supportive and they helped me whenever they could.
If you had told me five years ago that when I turned nineteen I'd be living in England with a seven year old boy for about five days a week on my own, with his younger brother having cancer, I would have said are you joking?! But I did and once again mainly because of the strength the Woodall's, my family in the Netherlands and my old and new friends gave me. The Woodall's always told me that together we are a team, "Team Woodalls + Kerkhof". And if we all work together, we could do it!
Every time I felt I was used to the situation, it would suddenly change. A hospital appointment or George would have a temperature which meant back to hospital for a minimum of 48 hours. But none the less we still tried to leave things as normal as possible. They made sure I still did fun things as well, AND we did, I have some lovely memories I will never forget. When it was my birthday for example we all went to a little amusement park. It was one of George first trips since the operation and the smile on his face I will remember forever.
When they all went to America for 2.5 months for treatment they gave me the opportunity to live in their house on my own. It was so strange but so good as well. I learnt so many new things once again. I started working in the local coffee shop called West Central. Were I got to know more about the English culture and make some more amazing friends. I worked with such supportive people. Soon after Alex and George's left for the States their Nana and Grandad also moved in with me whilst they had renovations on their house. They made me feel like their daughter and looked after me like one of their own. It was lovely to see how interested they where in my job at the coffeeshop and in my life in The Netherlands.
When my host family got back from America it was a little strange, suddenly everyone was at home and it was hectic and crowded again, but a good crowd! I kept my job at the West Central Coffee Shop and work as an aupair in the same time. This meant I could save to go travelling in Canada & America before I start Uni, again another experience I thought I would never have!
I don't want to lie, it has been hard the last eighteen months. But strangely enough I am also glad that I had the chance to live with this incredible family. Not to forget that I had the chance to discover England. I have visited so many beautiful places and I went to many amazing events.
Saying goodbye doesn't exist, I am going but I am not leaving the family.
I am sure I will be visiting as often as I can.
WE CAN ALL HELP BEAT CHILDHOOD CANCER!
With this article we would also like to draw special attention to the George and the Giant Pledge Charity for which the whole family and Evelien have tirelessly worked for to raise awarness and funds to help beat the childhood cancer.
"Ich habe mich als Aupair bei Smart Aupairs beworben und sehr gute Erfahrungen gemacht! Bereits bei der Vermittlung sind die Mitarbeiter sehr hilfsbereit gewesen, die Vermittlung ist einwandfrei organisiert gewesen inklusive Feedbacks voriger Aupairs zu den Familien, sodass ich innerhalb weniger Wochen eine tolle Familie gefunden habe, und die Vermittlungsgebühr musste ich erst nach der Unterzeichnung des Vertrages mit der Familie zahlen. Auch vor Ort hat sich die Organisation immer wieder proaktiv gemeldet, um sich zu erkundigen, ob bei mir und insbesondere mit der Familie alles in Ordnung ist. Als ich mich um einen Nebenjob bewerben wollte und dafür eine Nachweis für den Wohnort sowie eine sogenannte National Insurance Number brauchte, haben mir die Mitarbeiter umgehend einen beglaubigten Nachweis geschickt und mir gesagt, wo ich mir die National Insurance Number besorgen kann. Außerdem ist die Organsiation sehr bemüht Socials zu organisieren und ankommenden Aupairs damit ein gutes Netzwerk zur Verfügung zu stellen. Ich würde Smartaupairs jedem uneingeschränkt weiter empfehlen. Eine seriöse Organisation wie Smartaupairs ist wirklich jeden Cent wert, wenn man als Aupair ins Ausland geht! "


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2021 Minnesota high school soccer schedules posted
By Drew Cove, SportsEngine, 07/30/21, 4:15PM CDT
The girls' and boys' soccer seasons begin on Aug. 26 with more than 120 games on opening day.
The Centennial girls' soccer team defeated all but one opponent last year: Champlin Park. The Northwest Suburban Conference rivals meet Sept. 30 in a matchup with plenty of intrigue. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine
Minnesota high school fall sports are getting back to a more typical schedule, with the boys' and girls' soccer seasons set to get underway in late August.
The most notable development this year, however, may be that boys' and girls' soccer is expanding to three classes. The change was a result of the increasing number of teams fielded by schools and the need for more competitive balance in the postseason.
We'll have to wait for October to see if that plays out, but for now, we want to spotlight a few regular-season showdowns of note.
The Centennial girls proved to be one of the more dominant teams in the state a year ago, outscoring opponents 75-9 and rising to No. 4 in the final Class 2A coaches poll. One team the Cougars couldn't crack: Champlin Park. The Rebels defeated their Northwest Suburban Conference rival 3-2 in mid-September — the only loss for Centennial that season. That victory helped Champlin Park finish the year ranked No. 5 in Class 2A, but it wasn't enough to prevent Centennial from taking home the league title. The Rebels' 4-4 tie with Blaine in early October was the difference in the the conference championship residing in Circle Pines and not Champlin Park.
Both teams moved to Class 3A this year, but that might be a footnote to their showdown on Sept. 30, in a game that could help settle the league title as well as be a postseason preview.
The Waconia girls not only move up to a new class this season but also into a new league — the Metro West Conference — where the Wildcats have a chance to sharpen their postseason claws playing against several teams from Class 3A. But it's a Class 2A team that may be the thorn in their quest for a league title.
Waconia faces Benilde-St. Margaret's in the regular-season finale on Oct. 7, and the Red Knights have won the league title four of the last six season seasons. Benildle-St. Margaret's finished 2020 ranked No. 2 in Class 1A and won the Section 5 championship. The Red Knights move up a class this season.
The boys schedule begins with 68 games on August 26, and that first day does not disappoint with a high-profile matchup between Wayzata and Lake Conference rival Edina.
Wayzata finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 1 in Class 2A and as Lake Conference champions before winning the Section 6 title with a 3-2 victory over Minneapolis Washburn. Those successes, however, likely didn't help clear the bad taste of a 1-0 loss to Edina — and the Trojans' only defeat of the season — in second of two regular-season showdowns.
Edina started the season with a 2-1 loss to Wayzata in the first of their meetings but bounced back to win all but one more game and finish the year as the Class 2A, Section 2 champion. The Hornets, who fell to Minnetonka 1-0 in mid-September, ended up at No. 4 in the season's final rankings.
Both teams are now in Class 3A, and a victory for either in their season opener could set the tone for the entire Class 3A field this season. The Trojans host the Hornets in the second of their regular-season meetings on Sept. 21.
Holy Angels boys' soccer won the Class 1A, Section 3 title and posted an 11-1-1 overall record in 2020. The Stars closed the season with the No. 3 ranking in Class 1A. They are now in Class 2A, but they haven't moved on from many of their natural rivals.
Holy Angels faces DeLaSalle (Sept. 21) and Richfield (Sept. 28), teams that also moved up class, in Tri-Metro Conference play. The showdown with Richfield could be a precursor to the section playoffs, where the Stars defeated the Spartans to secure the Class 1A, Section 3 championship a year ago.
See the full boys' schedules here and the girls' schedules here, or click on the "Search" bar and type the name of your favorite team into the "Team Finder" tab to find that team's individual schedule.
If your team's schedule hasn't been posted or is incomplete email scores@sportngin.com with the necessary information.
2020 MN Soccer Hub Photo of the Year unveiled
See which image was chosen the best from our season of coverage.
And the winner is...MN Soccer Hub Girls' Top Performer revealed
By Kassondra Burtis, SportsEngine 10/13/2020, 1:45pm CDT
See who fans voted as the top performer from Oct. 5-10.
And the winner is...MN Soccer Hub Boys' Top Performer revealed
Champlin Park boys shake off recent loss, roll to victory over Blaine
By Ryan Williamson, SportsEngine 10/06/2020, 6:00pm CDT
The Rebels, who lost their first game this season a week ago, put away the Bengals to clinch this year's Northwest Suburban Conference title.
Offense on display in tie between Champlin Park girls and Blaine to cap regular season
The Rebels took a 2-0 lead early but the Bengals struck back to snag a draw against their Northwest Suburban Conference opponent.
Tag(s): Boys' IMAC Blake Lake Edina Minnetonka Wayzata St. Paul City St. Paul Central Tri-Metro DeLaSalle Holy Angels Richfield Metro West Benilde-St. Margaret's Northwest Suburban Blaine Centennial Champlin Park Rogers Wright County Waconia


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If your idea of "high tech fun" involves gears, goggles, and corsets, you're probably a steampunk fan. This popular genre of fiction and film imagines an alternate Industrial Age, in which steam power and Newtonian physics reign supreme. Imagine if Victorian science fiction were real, and you'll get an idea of what steampunk's all about.
My fellow Cogwheel Press author Bruce Hesselbach and I will jointly present an introduction to the kinds of Victorian-era technology that really existed, and inspire steampunk authors today. Our illustrated lecture will take place at Forbes Library, 20 West St., Northampton, MA at 7:00 p.m. I'll be talking about examples of Victorian domestic technology I've encountered in my work as a museum consultant, and Mr. Hesselbach will introduce "strange but real" inventions reimagined in steampunk literature. Both of us will be available to sign copies of our books.
Bruce Hesselbach is an attorney living in Newfane, VT, and the author of Perpetual Motion, a steampunk alternative history novel. His web site is www.hesselbachwriter.com.
It's the end of August. Almost the end of summer. The garden's dying and needs to be cleaned out. The house needs tidying, the pool has to be drained and put away. The apples are almost ripe and ready to be transformed to sauce. Lots to do that's bittersweet.
Yesterday marked the 19th anniversary of my father-in-law's death. Today is my 22nd wedding anniversary. Bittersweet, again.
I'm not rich - indeed, I often wonder where the money's coming from to pay the bills. But I have a safe, comfortable place to live and sleep, and I never go hungry.
I'm not famous, but I have a published novel.
I'm not a trendsetter, but I have friends.
I'm not a supermodel, but I have beautiful children.
I struggle every day with impatience, imbalance, ineptitude, and inequality, but I have the love of God in Jesus Christ.
In fact, I'm blessed beyond measure. And I'm truly grateful. Being happy is an exercise in both choice, and seeing what's actually real and right before our eyes. Don't waste time wishing for what's out of reach, and in the end, just vanity.
Look Who's on the Radio?
Yours truly had the delightful opportunity to be part of an on-air book discussion with Denise Stankovics, editor of Today's American Catholic and Maria Johnson, host of ReasonablyCatholic.com. We talked about Hildegard of Bingen, how the Bible came to be, the priesthood, and of course Discovering Ren. It was great fun!


It is often said that time is your scarest resource as a leader. The confounding reality for many leaders is that the barrage of information in fast paced digitally networked environment has had a detrimental effect on the average attention span of a leader. One study found that on average almost 87 interruptions per day in the workplace. What was of particular interest was that 75% of these interruptions were triggered by the person him/herself (Adlera & Benbunan-Fich, 2013.) No longer is guarding attention simply a matter of setting boundaries with people, it is increasingly dependent on our own ability to self-manage and develop mastery over our attention.
Interruptions have a cognitive cost, in that the reorientation between tasks takes time. This is particularly accentuated when the interuption requires the leader to switch general sphere of work, that is switch between tasks that are unrelated (Gallup, 2006.) Interuptions within the same sphere of work can enhance the quality or creativity of output within the same sphere of work. Interuptions in this context can be seen as helpful interactions.
Five neurochemicals are released in flow states, the combination of which have a powerful effect on performance. Norepinephrine and dopamine tighten focus, endorphins block pain allowing sustained effort, anandamide supports the creation of lateral connections and insights, and serotonin, the feel-good chemical, helps to build cohesion in working groups (Kotler, 2014.) Of particular importance is that flow states are one of the only times in which all five neurochemicals are produced together, and the simultaneous release of these neurochemicals is one of the most intensive reward states the brain can produce (Kotler, 2014.) Flow states leave us wanting more, and going to huge efforts to attain them.
A 15 year study of the subjective experiences of doing complex work in organisations found that the "of all the things that can boost inner work life, the most important is making progress in meaningful work" (Amabile & Kramer, 2011:4.) Dubbed the progress principle, if work is personally meaningful, small wins are all that is needed to unlease motivation. Flow states do just this.
What triggers flow states? Kotler (2014) in his study of professional athletes found that high consequences triggered flow states, as these high stakes caused a concentration of attention which lead to focus. Consider the risk experienced by a rock climber, or a musician stepping onto stage. A further trigger is finding the 'sweet spot' between challenge and skill. This 'flow channel' exists between boredom and anxiety, where there is sufficient skill and challenge to allow the person to immerse themselves into an activity in a way that leads to growth and discovery (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990.) Kotler (2014) suggest that challenge should be 4% greater than level of skills.
Learning to master our attention and extend our ability to focus are the first steps. One method is to use a 30 minute hour glass or timer, and train yourself to sustain focus for short periods. As the opportunities for distraction proliferate with rich sources of data and communication continously at our fingertips, we need to be careful that our technological tools don't end up reducing our capacity to perform. Flow states offer the possibility for peak performance whilst increasing our sense of gratification from our work. Learning to master flow states might just be the most important skill you learn this year?
Adee, S. 2012.Zap your brain into the zone: Fast track to pure focus. New Scientist, Issue 2850. Available at www.newscientist.com.
Adlera, R. & Benbunan-Fich, R. 2013. Self-interruptions in discretionary multitasking. Computers in Human Behaviour, 29(4): 1441-1449.
Amabile, T. & Kramer, S. 2011. The power of small wins: Want to truly engage your workers? Help them to see their own progress. Harvard Business Review, May, 1-12.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1999. If we are so rich, why aren't we happy? American Psychologist, 54:821–827.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. 1990. Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Grand Rapids: Harper.
Kotler, S. 2014. The Rise of Superman: Decoding the Science of Ultimate Human Performance. New York: Harcourt.


Big Yellow Tech – Simply Travel!
If you want to rent your property, to determine what the rental rates should be of the property can be a tough chance. You can look into the classified section of the local dailies to have a clear idea on the usual rates that other property owners are charging for their properties. However, you should be much clearer on that because setting the price too low would bring in a lowered profit or setting the price too high would drive away tenants. When you professionals, they will conduct a proper market research to identify the price of the property. Having looked into all the services that these professionals offer, you would certainly want to hire them to make the management of your property much easier. To assure that their services fit your budget, you can simply take a look at real estate agent fees.
Another great advantage that you will getting from hiring these professionals is that they will manage your property in a way that he profit that you gain from it will be maximized. Most of these services charge a percentage of the monthly services. This means that you will not feel that you are spending a lot on them and also, you will be getting your rates whilst, they will be getting the income from the rates that they set. Hiring these professionals will bring in a win – win situation or both the parties.
To handle tenants is a tough job, especially because some are reluctant to pay the rent and there are different issues that one will have to deal with everyday depending on the tenant. If you have had enough of the tenants, the best way to free yourself from their trouble is to hand the responsibility over to the professionals.
489 skilled work visa is temporary visa which permits workers to reside and work in certain low populated regions in Australia for as long as 4 years. It is only applicable to the highly skillful and qualified workforce. To acquire this visa, one must be sponsored by a family member who is a permanent resident of Australia such as parents, brothers, sisters or even members of your extended family such as nephews and nieces, even first cousins. Alternatively, nomination by a state or territory government can also get you in the running for this visa. this visa also paves the way to attain permanent residence in Australia. In both cases, the applicant must keep in mind that they will need to reside in and work fulltime for 12 months in a sparsely populated region to qualify for permanent residence. For more information, please log on to https://www.scaconnect.com/.
It is helpful to individuals who are not up to date with visa requirements and application to enlist the help of a visa migration agent. They will help provide the exact details to begin this process. To begin you must submit an Expression of Interest(EOI) through an online porta called Skill SELECT. There are certain criteria that needs to be met to apply for this visa. Firstly, you must be below the age of 45 to apply. You must choose an occupation which is mentioned in the visa nomination occupation list and also have a job offer in the area in which you are applying. Once you receive a job offer, you and your 482 visa migration agent in Perth must read and understand the offer carefully before signing. Work experience in that certain field is also required. An English language test will also be conducted unless you are exempt. Preferably the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) is used and you must obtain a score of at least 6 in each band to be eligible. Financial resource must also be adequate enough to support yourself and your partner: if you have also applied for their visa. There is also a Points Test system in place that takes into account various factors such as work experience and education. You must score a minimum of 65 points to apply for 489 skilled visa. There will also be a skill assessment test according to the occupation you have chosen. Certain health requirements must also be fulfilled.
This visa has lots of benefits in store. You gain temporary residency in a specific area of Australia, from there you can work as well as study to help with future growth in the area. As long as the visa is valid, you can travel freely in and out of the country. However, keep in mind that if you are planning to apply for permanent visa, you must keep in mind that a certain time limit has been set in which you must reside in the region allocated.
Suppose that you are in a city on a weekend or a regular day, you may be there for shopping or visiting the city and you are late. Now you need a place where you can relax and refresh. There might be other locations too that might give you what you need but at Wyndham, we make sure that you get whatever you need and with quality and best standards. We have so many locations all across Australia where you can have the best accommodation in Marcoola beach. We have hotels that are fully equipped and have state of the art facilities at your service. The best thing about our hotels is the location and the services. There is however no comparison to the standards that we have raised. We provide utter customer satisfaction so that there is nothing left in the services that we provide.
Our iconic hotels are best for you if you are looking for bed and breakfast accommodation in Phillip island because when you come to the hotel you might not just want to lay down on the bed, you may want to feel the fresh air and the atmosphere. Most of our hotels have all the luxury facilities that you can think of. If you are looking for pools, we have it and the best thing about our pools is that they are heated pools which means you can adjust the temperature whatever suits you. There is a gym if you are into fitness and don't want to miss out a single day for your workout, all the equipment in the gym is latest and you will be guided too if you need any help. In order to make your time more memorable and enjoyable, different locations have their different entertaining methods. There is live BBQ if you are into smoky meat and want to enjoy it getting done. There are a number of restaurants, cafés and bars with a variety of foods and drinks.
At some of our iconic locations, you will find ATM's and you will have access to them 24/7. If you are old or you have some problems while walking then don't worry, we have elevators which will make your life much easier. The best thing about all of our destinations is that they have high speed internet and wi-fi. You can download and buffer your content with unmatched speed and with out any interruptions. We also have same day dry cleaning services if you are planning for a bread and breakfast, we will make it fast and you will be provided the services above and beyond.
A country known for sports, happening night life, beaches, sand, mangroves and people who just love rock all the time; that country is none other than Australia. Well known for the boom of professional accountancy field and financial careers not only restricted to leisure attitude but also for amazing sightseeing and tourist spots. Talking about tourism and tourist attraction brings us to a name of an island situated in Australia and so well knows that labeled as the largest sand island in the world.
Located in the heart of the scenic atmosphere of Australia Fraser island is the must go destination for all the tourist especially for the couples, those who love to face the sunshine and enjoy the hot sand with a cold drink 'Fraser island' is a good news for them, nature and all its glory get doubled as it is world's largest sand island. Usually known as the island of miracles as, it's a place where rainforests grows directly on sand, genesis can be tracked back to the ice age, when initially the actual sand from the land of New south Wales were cluttered around the shore of Queensland. Presently, Fraser Island consists of approx. more than 150,000 hectare of previous sand which attracts more than half a million of tourists every year. There are some amazing facts related to the Fraser Island among which one of the most interesting fact is, 5000 years before aboriginal Australians reached the legendary Island and that was the time when Fraser Island was known as K'gari or Paradise. And there is a long story too related to these aboriginals. Go right here to find out more details.
Actually the name derived on the name of a survivor, who actually survived in a ship wrecked " Eliza Fraser", surprisingly this 75 mile beach contains both facilities of a landing strip and a highway. Like mentioned before they call it the island of miracles as well, salt water crocodiles have been found too on the same island, south east Asian seafearers inducted dingoes to the island early in 5000 years before. Moreover, 354 species of birds have been also found on the island. One thing which make this island even more center of attraction is a secret that this island was a sleeper training base for allied soldiers during the world war II, sight seeing is even more catchy on Fraser Island as 23 ship wrecks are recorded on this island, the famous Maheno wreck can be witnessed even Today on the same lsland. Ofcourse after so many miracles and catchy stories and facts of Fraser Island, it has been ranked (as per public voting) on 7th must see places (among beaches) in the world by National Geographic.
Folks! Why wait grab your bag and plan something fantastic on Fraser Island one day tours. Holiday on a beach and no beach better than Fraser Island of Australia.
There are people all over the world who have never been outside of their country due to lack of opportunities and the means to afford trips to different cities and countries. Even though international travel sounds like a dream come true when you think of it and hear about it from other people, but international travel is also very tedious and time consuming. Not everybody loves being stuck on long haul flights and most international flights tend to be quite long in hours. International travel is also amazing once you get to your destination because it means that you get to explore a whole new culture and ethnic background that is very unfamiliar to you. If you're somebody who is preparing to go abroad whether it'd be for business or for pleasure, the international travel tips that we have mentioned will definitely help you to maneuver your way through the process.
One of the most important things that you must consider when travelling internationally is your safety and one of the best ways in which you can stay safe is by staying at a hotel or an accommodation Woodend Macedon ranges that is praised and well known for the safety the property provides to its guests.
Whether you're hoping to go on one of the better wine tasting tours and explore the nature that surrounds you once you get to your destination, finding a safe property to stay at is key and this is more important for those individuals that love to travel alone and backpack through countries. For these types of individuals, we suggest making friends or going along with a friend that you can trust so that you will outnumber anybody that could potentially be a threat so remember that two is always better than one.
Flying international is not as simple as flying to a different state as you have to go through a process of filing for visa and waiting to hear back about the approval of your visa. However, visa policies and other legal policies concerning international travel vary from country to country so it is best to read up about the policies that are unique to the country you are hoping to visit. Your legal documents is a must have if you want to board an international flight so without fail, make sure to pack your documents in your handbag or your carry on in a place where the documents are easily accessible. Forgetting to take your legal documents to the airport is one of the most common travel mistakes that people often do.
If you are looking for a hotel that is so close to fun and enjoyment then this is the one. You will get all the comforts here and you will be served well. This hotel is just a doorstep away from Surfers Paradise which is the best place for you if you want to enjoy the water and have some sun bath. The hotel is at the best spot which links you to many places including markets and malls and it is just some minutes' drive away from Gold Coast. So, if you want to enjoy the best and have the amazing experience over the weekend or the holidays then this is the right hotel for you. You will be able to see the amazing view of ocean from the window of your room. We also have different packages for you and there are different staying plans for your convenience.
If you are used to your own food then you can have the apartments, which comes with a bathroom and a kitchen. You can cook whatever you want in your own kitchen. It is just like a home but with more good experience and fun. There is a one-bedroom apartment and a two-bedroom apartment. If you are with your partner then you can get the one-bedroom apartment and if you are with another couple or friends then you can get a two-bedroom apartment. All of the facilities are available. The hotel has its own restaurant and a bar. There is even a gym and a spa if you want to be in your shape. There is a swimming pool outside the best hotel deals in Surfers paradise in which you can have a beautiful time with the other people. There are heaters installed in the pool so the temperature of the water can be adjusted to the normal temperature.
If you are getting bored in the night and have nothing to do at all then there is a Bar B Que section in which you can get fresh dinner and you can meet new people. The entire hope island hotel has high speed broadband internet connection and you can enjoy the amazing fast speed of internet. There is so much more fun at the hotel and if you want to go for surfing then you know it is just at our doorstep. If you are looking to spend a good weekend or holidays then this is the best place you have got and we can provide you with all the facilities that you may need during you stay.
There are various things that we need to look into when it comes to planning a trip. Be it a family trip or a business trip, moving from one place to another for a few days could be quite tough. It is important to understand that proper planning do not ensure everything to go according to plan. You need to make sure that you leave room for errors to occur. Further, it is important to make sure that you arrange your accommodation Wellington central well in advance. It is important to make sure that you consider the following things before booking a hotel.
Almost all of us like to make sure that we get to take a dream vacation and enjoy a 4 bedroom villa Maldives but you need to understand whether you can afford to book this place or not before you decide on your trip. First of all, it is quite important to look at your financial situation and decide how much you can spend on your trip. Depending on your budget, you can start picking out hotels that would suit your requirement. Therefore, it is important to make sure that you look into the prices before you book a hotel.
If you are planning on taking your entire family on a holiday, it is important to make sure that you look into options like 8 bedrooms villas Maldives that would accommodate all of your family members. Furthermore, depending on what type of holiday you want to take, the hotel you pick would differ. Moreover, it is important to make sure that you have the ability to research and understand whether the hotel you plan on booking has the facilities you are looking for. If you want a holiday filled with adventure, you need to check and see whether the hotel offers these facilities and if you want a spa vacation, you need to check on it accordingly. This would help you make sure that you pick the perfect place for your trip.
There are plenty of things that you need to consider when it comes to choosing the perfect holiday. The most important thing that you need to keep in mind is the location of the hotel. Depending on what type of holiday you plan on taking, it is important to make sure that you pick the right hotel with the right facilities and most importantly, a hotel situated in the ideal location.
Therefore, out of the many things you need to look into when planning a holiday, you need to consider the above things before you choose a hotel.
As a college student, you would be independent for the first time in your life. Therefore along with this independence, you would also inherit a sense of adventure. This is what would push you to dream about travelling the world. But as a college student, we know that you are not exactly swimming in cash. More often than not you would be living on a diet of ramen noodles and cereal. In that case how exactly can one afford to travel internationally? Well, you should not be disheartened by your bank balance. That is because there are countless ways for one to travel without spending a fortune.
We know that many of you give up on travelling internationally because flights are so very expensive. But just as you would look for the cheapest accommodation Wellington Central you need to look for cheaper flights. With the help of the internet, this would not be an impossible task for you to accomplish. That is because there are countless sites that offer various deals. Therefore what you need to do is keep an eye out for these deals. The way to do this would be by regularly checking up on these sites.
We know that you would have been dreaming about travelling to New Zealand ever since you were young. But once you saw the prices for accommodation wellington cbd you would have immediately given up on this idea. However, you should not be this disheartened. That is because you need to realize that establishments raise their prices during the season. This would normally be during the summer months. However, that does not mean you cannot explore this country during the winter months. You absolutely can. Furthermore, it would also go on to present a picturesque view. Therefore simply because others travel during the summer months does not mean you should do the same. Instead, opt to travel during the offseason. Then you would discover that everything is considerably cheaper.
You may have realized that everything is better when you have a friend with you. Thus, that is why we are advising you to embark on these travels with a friend. This way not only would you have a companion to travel with. But you would also have someone to share the cost with. This includes everything from transport to accommodation.
Thus, if you refer to this guide you would realize that college students can travel the world. Furthermore, you would realize that it is possible to do even when you don't have that much money.


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Week 48 (Book 3): Manasseh and Asking Hashem to Forget
BESHALACH: 7. He named the place Massah [testing] and Meribah [quarreling] because of the quarrel of the children of Israel and because of their testing the Lord, saying, Is the Lord in our midst or not? 8. Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.
TANACH VERSES FOLLOWING THE HAFTORAH: 8. that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, and he said to them, "Thus says the Lord, G-d of Israel; I brought you up from Egypt, and I brought you out of the house of bondage. 9. And I saved you from the hand of Egypt, and from the hand of all your oppressors; and I drove them out from before you, and I have given you their land.
TALMUD SOTAH: DAF 48 – Reforms of Yochanan Kohen Gadol
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Manasseh
SEVEN CANA'ANITE NATIONS: Chivites
Week 48 is the second week of Elul, also including a day of Rosh Chodesh. Because of the people's quarreling and testing of Hashem, doubting whether Hashem was in their midst, Amalek came and fought against them. (See Book 1, on how the scorpion in week 48 represents the coldness of Amalek) This ultimately brought them to cry out to G-d and battle against Amalek's G-dlessness.
The Tanach verses for this week include G-d sending the people a prophet in response to their crying out to Him. Because the people in the times of Gideon cried for mercy, G-d responded with mercy and reassurance.
Daf Mem Chet (Folio 48) of Sotah describes the reforms made by Yochanan Kohen Gadol. The daf also describes a prohibition against singing after the destruction of the Temple, the loss of Ruach HaKodesh, and various spiritual declines since the Temple was destroyed and the Sanhedrin abolished. A general theme again the incredible need for teshuvah.
King Menasseh, the son of Hezekiah, was extremely evil and fell deeply into idolatry. Worse, he led the people of Judah to perform idolatry as well. However, after King Menasseh was taken captive a tortured, he did sincere teshuvah, and when he returned to the throne he acknowledged Hashem and tried to bring the people back. Menashe means to "forget." In Elul, we ask Hashem to "forget" our inappropriate behavior throughout the year.
The forty-eighth week is connected to conquering the Chivites. Their name appears to come from the Aramaic word for snake: Chiviah. The Chivites are connected to the negative side of Yesod: being self-centered and overly concerned with one's own pleasures. General, the perfecting of the sefirah of Yesod involves the control of one's sexual impulses, exemplified by Yosef HaTzadik.
Week 49 (Book 3): Amon and Raising the Lowest of Sparks
BESHALACH: 9. So Moses said to Joshua, Pick men for us, and go out and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of G-d in my hand. 10. Joshua did as Moses had told him, to fight against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur ascended to the top of the hill.
TANACH VERSES FOLLOWING THE HAFTORAH: 10. And I said to you, 'I am the Lord your G-d, you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.' But you have not obeyed me." 11. And the angel of the Lord came, and sat under the oak which was in Ophra, that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite; and his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to be enabled to flee from Midian.
TALMUD SOTAH: DAF 49 – the power of prayer and the times of Mashiach.
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Amon
SEVEN CANA'ANITE NATIONS: Jebusites
Week 49 is the third week of Elul. The Torah section for this week is related to the fight against Amalek, who represents the worst kind of kelipah, impurity. This fight was physically led by Joshua, but spiritually by Moshe's prayer, with the aid of Aharon and Hur. Each of these figures represent a different aspect of the Jewish people. Moshe is Netzach, Aharon Hod, Joshua Yesod, and Hur, Miriam's husband from the tribe of Judah, is Malchut. All of these characteristics had to work together in order to defeat Amalek. (See Book 1, on how the week 49, the culmination of the Omer count, represents the dissipation of kelipah)
The Tanach verses also speak of the fight against Canaanite nations and their ideology. The leader to fight against their oppression is also introduced here: Gideon. There are very strong parallels between Moshe and Gideon, both in their humility, and questioning their appointment. Gideon also has aspects of Malchut, because he is the only judge in which his son was also appointed a leader, just like a king. Gideon is from the tribe of Menashe son of Joseph, which is related to Yesod. Rashi explains that the prophet who came to speak to the nation was Pinchas, who was a kohen, who is connected to the sefirah of Hod.
Daf Mem Tet (Folio 49) of Sotah describes the power of prayer. The daf also describes the various spiritual declines since the destruction of the Temple. It depicts in great length how certain aspects of holiness and saintliness were lost after certain rabbis died. It also describes the problems of the generation of Mashiach. These problems will cause us to ultimately cry out to G-d and be saved. This is what we are meant to do in Elul as well, as a preparation for Rosh Hashanah.
King Amon, the son of Menasheh, is considered the most evil of all the kings of Judah. Unlike his father, he did not do teshuvah. He "not only worshipped all his idols but also burned the Torah and committed incest with his own mother (Sanhedrin 103:6)."[1] Fortunately, his rule only lasted two years, because he was murdered in a conspiracy. Amon's reign's sinfulness is a precursor for the saintliness of his son Josiah's reign, discussed next week. Therefore, we see that the above is also related to the theme of teshuvah of the month of Elul.
The forty-ninth week is connected to conquering the Jebusites. Their name comes from Jebus, the city conquered by King David and made into Israel's capital and the future home of the Beit HaMikdash, Jerusalem. Jebus appears related to the Hebrew word bushah, shame. Yerushalayim is a combination of the words "fear" (Yirah) and "peace" (Shalom).
The Jebusites are connected to the negative side of Malchut, which means kingship, and is connected with the power of speech. The negative side of Malchut therefore is evil speech, Lashon Harah. Lashon Harah represents the very opposite of the above qualities. Someone who speaks Lashon Harah is shameless and does not properly fear Heaven. It also causes quarelling and social ostracism, the exact opposite of peace.
King David witnessed the power of Lashon Harah in his interactions with King Saul. King Saul's hatred for David arose from others speaking positively of David in front of him (this is known as Avak Lashon Harah). Also, Doeg's Lashon Harah caused the annihilation of the entire priestly city of Nov. King Saul's own soldiers were not successful against the Philistines due to their slander of David.[2] The best example of avoiding evil speech comes from David's ancestor Tamar, who refrained from accusing Judah even though she'd be thrown in a fire and burned alive. From Tamar our sages learn that it is better to throw oneself in the fire than to shame someone in public (from the Hebrew word bushah).
The conquest of the seventh nation, the Jebussites, and the conquest of Jerusalem represents a final, crowning step in the conquest of the land, just as forty-nine is the final day of the counting of the omer.
[1]http://www.azamra.org/Bible/II%20Kings%2021-22.htm
[2]http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/922039/jewish/Laws-of-Lashon-Hara.htm#footnote7a922039
Week 50 (Book 3): Josiah and Emunah
BESHALACH: 11. It came to pass that when Moses would raise his hand, Israel would prevail, and when he would lay down his hand, Amalek would prevail. 12. Now Moses hands were heavy; so they took a stone and placed it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one from this [side], and one from that [side]; so he was with his hands in faith until sunset.
TANACH VERSES FOLLOWING THE HAFTORAH: 12. And the angel of the Lord appeared and said to him, "The Lord is with you, mighty man of valor." 13. And Gideon said to him, "Please my lord, if the Lord be with us, why then has all this befallen us? And where are all His wonders which our forefathers told us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?' But now the Lord has forsaken us, and He has delivered us into the hand of Midian."
TALMUD NAZIR: UP TO DAF 22
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Josiah
THREE ADDITIONAL NATIONS: Kenites
Week 50 is the week of Chai Elul. The Torah section for this week continues to describe the fight against Amalek. The key ingredient in the fight is Emunah, faith. It is well known that Amalek represents lack of faith, and has the same numerical value as the word safek, doubt. Our sages teach us that it was not Moshe's hands that won the war, but rather when the Jewish people would turn their face towards Heaven, in an act of faith, that is when they would gain the upper hand.
The Tanach section for this week shows Gideon's doubts and a relative lack of emunah. These doubts are in essence the same kind of doubt that Amalek sought to instill. How could it be that the people of G-d, with G-d Himself on their side, fall prey to the attacks of another nation? The answer, of course, is that it is due to our sins, and that it is only in this way, partially reliving the exile and the exodus originally experienced in Egypt that we come to teshuvah, which is the theme of of the month of Elul, especially Chai Elul.
After completing the tractate of Sotah, which corresponds to the Counting of the Omer, we now move to the tractate most associated with it, Nazir, which represents the three weeks connected to Shavuot as well as Passover of the coming year. The Nazir is also deeply connected to the teshuvah of Elul.
Sotah follows Nazir in the order of the Mishnah, and the reason for this is addressed in the opening pages of both tractates. The discussion makes note of the fact that in the Torah itself, the sections on Sotah and Nazir are side-by-side, although there it is Sotah, not Nazir, which comes first. The reason give for the juxtaposition in the Torah (which is the basis for the juxtaposition in the Talmud) is that, "one that sees a Sotah in her disgrace (kilkulah) should make a vow to abstain (become a Nazir) from wine." The reason the order in the Talmud is reversed is because the legal discussion goes from vows (which are similar to Nazir) and only then turns to other related topics. The same is true regarding the two orders here. Passover comes before the omer, which represents the "vows" we take to be free and to receive the Torah, which begins the omer process. On Shavuot, once one has seen the Sotah in its disgrace (in other words, once he's broken (kilkul) his animal behaviors and his Ruach Shtus of Kelipah during the counting of the omer, he is ready to move to an even higher level, to become a Nazir from wine, to crown himself (from the word Nezer) from wine of Torah, which is given to us on Shavuot. On Shavuot we received two crowns, one for Na'aseh and one for Nishmah. (See Book 1, Week 36)
The Torah states regarding the nazir, "for the crown of his G-d is on his head" (Bamidbar 6:7). Ibn Ezra explains this to mean: "He has a crown of royalty on his head." Similarly, the Torah calls him "holy," as it says: "He is holy to Hashem." (6:8)[1] There are three types of people who are crowned with a "nezer" in the Tanach: the King, the Kohen Gadol, and the Nazir. The first to be called this way is the Kohen Gadol (Shemot 29:6; Vayikra 21:12), followed by the Nazir himself (Bamidbar 6:7), and the King. (II Shmuel 1:10) Interestingly, both the King and the Kohen Gadol have strict rules about how often they are to cut their hair. [2] The very first mention of a Nazir is regarding Joseph, who is called the "Nazir of his brothers." (Bereishit 49:26)
The Reisha Rav, HaGaon Rav Aaron Levine, explains how Joseph's life in fact parallels that of the Nazir. Rav Levine divides Joseph's life in three phases: 1) the conspiracy of his brothers which almost led to his death; 2) as a slave in Egypt in the house of Potiphar, where he has to stave off Potiphar's wife's advances, which were due to his physical beauty, including his long hair; 3) the events leading up to his appointment as viceroy and meeting his brothers again, when he had wine for the first time in 22 years. Rav Levine parallels these three phases with the main three prohibitions of the Nazir: 1) not being in contact with the dead; 2) letting one's hair grow; and 3) not drinking wine.[3]
For the purpose of these upcoming three weeks related to Shavuot, Nazir is divided into the sections of 22 dapim. They roughly parallel a division of the chapters of the tractate into 3 sections: chapters 1 – 3 (daf 2 to 20); 4 – 6 (daf 21 – 46); 7 – 9 (daf 47 – 66).
Dapim Beit through Kaf Beit (Folios 2 - 22) of Nazir (which mostly cover chapter 1 – 3), describe the kinds of vows and expressions that make a person a Nazir; instances in which the vow has to be recommenced; and how Naziriteship only applies in the Land of Israel. (This parallels the first years of Joseph's life in the Land of Israel).
King Josiah, the son of Amon, is considered the most righteous of all the kings of Judah since David. He completely repudiated the ways of his father, repaired the Temple, and elevated the spiritual stature of the people in an unparalleled way. (It is appropriate that he be the king mentioned for the week of Shavuot/Chai Elul). His greatness and righteousness shone forth from time he took the reigns at the tender age of 8 (this also parallels with the Baal Shem Tov and the Alter Rebbe's childhood). Despite strengthening the people spiritually and militarily, Josiah was ultimately defeated. In what appeared to be a preventable death, Josiah did not allow free passage for Pharaoh on his way to war with another power, overestimating how much the people had repented. Josiah was thus killed in battle, and the Jewish people were once again burdened by an Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh Necho.
In the fiftieth week, we also move from working on the emotional characteristics to those of the intellect. This is connected to expanding our territory, and is related to conquering the Kenites.
The Kenites are connected to Chochmah. The name appears to be related to the Hebrew word kinyan, which means "acquisition," and of all sefirot, kinyan is associated with Chochmah. In fact, the Hebrew word for elder/sage is Zaken, which stands for Zeh She Kanah Chochmah (he who acquired wisdom). The Alter Rebbe, whose birthday is this week, is called in Hebrew, "Rabbeinu HaZaken," our wise/elder rabbi.
The Kenites are the descendants of Yitro, and historically had good relations with the Jewish people in biblical times. Yitro himself represents both the positive and negative aspects of the trait of Chochmah. Before converting, Yitro engaged in every type of idol worship, and was deeply familiar with Chochmat HaGoyim, the wisdom of the nations. His wisdom made his recognition of G-d all the more powerful. Yael is married to Chever the Keinite, and among her descendants would be the source of most of our Chochmah today, Rabbi Akiva. The Midrash states that Yael became pregnant from Sisera, and that from this line of descendants would come Rabbi Akiva. This is similar to Yitro, who went from having the Chochmah related to the opposite of the service of Hashem, to the ultimate service of Hashem. Rabbi Akiva's life also draws a similar parallel – he was unlearned until the age of 40, and then became the greatest sage of all times.
[1] https://www.kby.org/english/torat-yavneh/view.asp?id=3781
[2] www.seliyahu.org.il/parasha/par5757/epar57037.rtf
[3] http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/eylevine/5761mikeitz.htm
Week 51 (Book 3): Using Understanding (Binah) to Strengthen our Faith in the Merciful King
BESHALACH: 13. Joshua weakened Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 14. The Lord said to Moses, Inscribe this [as] a memorial in the book, and recite it into Joshua's ears, that I will surely obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens
TANACH VERSES FOLLOWING THE HAFTORAH: 14. And the Lord turned toward him and said, "Go, with this your strength, and save Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" 15. And he said to Him, "Please O Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my thousand is the poorest in Menasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's household."
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Jehoiakim, also known as Eliakim
THREE ADDITIONAL NATIONS: Kenizites
Week 51 also falls within the month of Elul. The Torah section for this week describes how Joshua weakened Amalek, and how Moshe is told to inscribe in the Torah and recite into Joshua's ears that Hashem will surely obliterate the remembrance of Amalek. Hashem's statement and Moshe's words to Joshua are meant to encourage all those in doubt that Hashem will certainly destroy Amalek and punish them for their impudence. As mentioned previously, Amalek has the same numerical value as safek, doubt. This is the time of the year in which we strengthen our faith in G-d and prepare to crown Him as our King.
The Tanach section for this week again shows Gideon's doubts and feeling of weakness. Like the section from the Torah, Hashem gives Gideon strength and encouragement, while appealing to Gideon's logic and understanding. There is also an interesting parallel between Gideon who is from Menasheh and Joshuah who is from Efraim, both descendants of Joseph.
Dapim Kaf Gimmel through Mem Dalet (Folios 23 - 44) of Nazir (which mostly cover chapters 4 – 6), describe cases in which others join in someone's vow, nullifying a wife's vow, and other laws relating to women and their vows or power to annul the vow of others. The tractate then discusses vows made by mistake (such as vows made without known about the destruction of the Temple), as well as other mistakes Nazirites might make, trespassing the conditions of their vows. This parallels the second phase of Joseph's life, when he mistakenly grew his hair and made himself attractive to Potiphar's wife; it also parallels the further personal crisis Joseph endured, after being falsely accused and imprisoned. Nullifying vows is one of the most important preparations for Rosh Hashanah.
Prior to Jehoiakim, his brother Jehoahaz reigned briefly for three months. He displeased Pharaoh Necho, and was replaced with Jehoiakim, who was renamed Eliakim. Eliakim was lax in his piety, and did not help the people return to Hashem. Judah was engulfed by greater and greater corruption and depravity. (See Book 1, how week 51's Wiesel is related to these qualities. Chuldah is also the prophetess that foretold of the destruction of Judah to King Josiah). Eliakim angrily refused to listen to the prophets, and instead sought to kill both Jeremiah and Baruch. He ultimately was forced to submit to Babylonia (who had defeated Egypt) and pay heavy taxes. After three years, he rebelled. The rebellion was quashed and he died in captivity. Jehoiakim failure to listen to the prophets was his greatest folly.
Both Jehoiakim and Eliakim mean "G-d will establish." The only difference in the two names is the name of G-d used. The name "El," in contrast to the name "Hashem," is a reference to the thirteen attributes of mercy and is particularly connected to the month of Elul. (Alter Rebbe, Likkutei Torah, Re'eh) Throughout the month of Elul, these attributes are constantly repeated during Selichot (prayers of forgiveness and repentance said all month by Sefardi communities, and in the week prior to Rosh Hashanah in Ashkenazi ones). Elul itself begins with the letters of the name "El."
The fifty-first week is related to conquering the Kenizites. The root of their name is Zaken spelled backwards. As mentioned previously, Zaken, translated as elder or sage, stands for "Zeh She Kanah Chochmah," he who has acquired wisdom. The Kenizim stand for that which is the complementary "mirror" of Chochmah, namely Binah, understanding.
There are at least two very famous righteous leaders whose name are related to these people: Caleb the Kenizite and his brother Othniel ben Kenaz. Both are also known for their territorial conquests. Caleb, along with Joshua, was the only spy who came back from the Land of Israel with a positive report. Othniel ben Kenaz conquered Kiriat Sefer, and thereby merited to marry Caleb's daughter, Achsah. (Joshua 15:17) Both also embody the attribute of Binah, a form of intellectual conquest.[1]
Caleb used his understanding to deal with the other spies with great cunning, thereby avoiding an even greater disaster. Caleb's name contains the word "Lev," heart, which is closely connected to the attribute of Binah.
Othniel ben Kenaz was the first Judge of the Jewish people. He was also the one to restore the Jewish laws that had been forgotten by Joshua during the mourning period of Moshe. Othniel ben Kenaz used deductive reasoning, the main attribute of Binah, to be able to decipher those laws.
[1] It seems interesting that the words Achsah, Kenaz, and Sefer are phonetically quite similar to the names for Ashkenazim and Sefardim.
Week 52 (Book 3): Crowning G-d as Our King
BESHALACH: 15. Then Moses built an altar, and he named it The Lord is my miracle. 16. And he said, For there is a hand on the throne of the Eternal, [that there shall be] a war for the Lord against Amalek from generation to generation.
TANACH VERSES FOLLOWING THE HAFTORAH: 16. And the Lord said to him, "Because I shall be with you, and you shall strike Midian as one man." 17. And he said to Him, "If I have now found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is You that speaks with me.
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST KING OF JUDAH: Mattaniah also known as Zedekiah
THREE ADDITIONAL NATIONS: Kadmonites
Week 52 is the week of Rosh Hashanah. The last verse in Beshalach describes how Moshe built an altar and named it "Hashem [is] my miracle." It also mentions how Amalek is an impediment to Hashem's throne, literally an obstacle to His Kingship, which must be fought against in every generation. Rosh Hashanah is about crowning Hashem as King, and therefore this description of the fight against Amalek is all the more significant. Again, Amalek represents doubt, and Rosh Hashanah is the time of the ultimate certainty in our faith in G-d; it is when we crown Him as our King.
The parallel Tanach section continues its connection to Amalek in that Hashem attempts to further allay Gideon's doubts, even though Gideon's lack of complete emunah is self-evident by his request that Hashem grant him a sign. Ultimately Hashem does grant Gideon a sign and his faith is restored. There is a parallel between altar Moshe built and the sign asked by Gideon. In reality, both are signs and testaments; one is meant for the future, testifying to a past miraculous battle, while the other is meant to confirm a recent past assurance, testifying to future miraculous battle that is still to take place. These are also two dimensions of Rosh Hashanah – one related to the year that passed, and the other to the year that is to come.
Dapim Mem Heh through Samech Vav (Folios 45 - 66) of Nazir (which mostly cover chapters 7 – 9), make comparisons between the Nazir and the Kohen Gadol and other rules regarding someone impure that is to enter the Temple; it also discusses rule in the case where there is doubt as to whether someone became unclean; it also discusses the Nazirite vows of women and slaves; the laws of the Metzorah, and whether Shmuel HaNavi was a Nazir. This parallels the third part of Joseph's life, where he attains a position of power and stature, and is also responsible for the affairs of Egypt, in which essentially the entire population becomes his slaves. References to the Kohen Gadol and Shmuel HaNavi also appear related to Rosh Hashanah, given that Hashem answered Chanah's prayers for a child on Rosh Hashanah, and that answer was conveyed by Eli the Kohen Gadol.
Like Jehoiakim, Mattaniah's rule was preceded by a brief three-month rule by his nephew, Jehoahaz, also known as Jeconiah. Jerusalem was then besieged by Babylonia, who conquered the city and exiled all the nobles as well as most of the rest of the population, leaving only the very poorest behind. Jeconiah was also exiled, and Nebuchadnezzar appointed his uncle Mattaniah as a tributary, changing his name to Zedekiah. Zedekiah also did not show signs of repentance, and he too rebelled against the emperor. Zedekiah threw Jeremiah in prison; later Jeremiah was also thrown in a mudpit, and almost died before being saved by the king. Zedekiah refused to heed Jeremiah's call to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. The rebellion was again quashed, but this time Jerusalem was devastated and the Temple was destroyed. The king tried to flee but he was captured. His children were murdered in front of him and his eyes were put out. Similarly, on Rosh Hashanah, one cannot run away from one's fate. One must be ready to face the King and be judged.
This also appears to be the significance behind the last king of Judah's change in names. Mattaniah means, "G-d's gift," while Zedekiah means "G-d's justice." Rosh Hashanah is primarily about being judged by G-d for our deeds over the past year. (Eventhough Rosh Hashanah is also about Chesed and G-d giving us life and sustenance for the coming year. See Week 1, also of Rosh Hashanah).
The fifty-second week is related to conquering the Kadmonites. Their name is associated to the word "kadmon," original primordial. This term is often used in Kabbalah as a reference to the beginning of Creation, and the primordial forces of existence. Adam Kadmon is a supernal Divine revelation that is connected to Keter (crown), the intellectual sefirah for this week, known also as Da'at, knowledge. Adam Kadmon is also a reference to Adam, the first man, created on Rosh Hashanah. The Nachash Kadmoni, the primordial snake, is connected to the essence of the Yetzer Harah, which will ultimately be destroyed with the coming of Mashiach. Only then will we be able to fully crown Hashem as our King (See also Book 1, Week 52).
Week 48 (Book 3): Manasseh and Asking Hashem to Fo...
Week 49 (Book 3): Amon and Raising the Lowest of S...
Week 51 (Book 3): Using Understanding (Binah) to S...


The last quarter of 2015 was marked by a national campaign against racism at campuses across the U.S.
Roundup of actions by LGBTQ people including: protests of the movie "Stonewall"; fighting to decriminalize homosexuality in Tunisia; a domestic violence awareness campaign in Boston; high membership in LGBTQ youth group in Russia; and the fight to rename a street in Salt Lake City after Harvey Milk.
On Dec. 4 we marched all over Boston for Black Lives Matter and all traffic we passed was stopped. There was so much humanity that night.