I Have a Lot

A Letter to a Friend

I Have a Dream

A Letter to Bubby

Don’t Trample on Me

A Minute at The Bus Stop

Meet the Author

I Never Knew Your Father

I Wish I Knew Your father Dear Friend, I walked away from being menachem avel you feeling very inspired.  I wanted to…

Behind the Scenes: When Caring Counts Most

How My Father Made a Kiddush Hashem

The Creation of a Kiddush Hashem Perek daled, mishnah hei tells us about not causing a chillul Hashem. There is flip-side to this,…

What’s in a Name?

If My Siddur Could Talk

If My Siddur Could Talk, What Would I Hear It Say? It was the night before my chasunah. I can still feel…

A Letter to My Sister

A Picture with Esti Dear Esti, I was straightening up recently when I came across an overturned picture. I don’t know where…

Chanukah and Tefillah: The Connection You Never Thought About

Chanukah and Tefillah: The Connection You Never Thought About Before the Yamim Noraim, I received the following email from Links Magazine: Hi! We…

Winning Words: The Communication Dance

The Broken Washing Machine

Squishing into Yourself

Squishing into Yourself Have you ever tried to squish yourself into being something that you’re not? I did. I mean, actually I…

One-Way Street

Life Is A One-Way Street My street became a one-way street, which is actually a good thing. We needed it to be…

Self-Care

פרק ב משנה יז The buzz word of today is self-care. You must take care of yourself. It will enhance your productivity.…

Know Your Worth: Shoshanah’s Story

Perek gimmel, mishnah yud-ches says חביב אדם שנברא בצלם. The fact that man was created in the image of Hashem shows that…

Hidden Yellow Circles

My daughter loves to use her yellow highlighter to write on the wall. I say, “Esther Malki, we don’t write on walls.”…

Baby Talk

Time to talk about my baby. On a whim I decided to see what the definition of baby is. According to Mr.…

Accepting The Message From The Messenger

I once saw the following quote: Empathy is like giving someone a psychological hug. When my sister died only a few months…

If I Could Do the Year Again…

It was a beautiful fall morning, that Friday of my brother’s petirah. Sunny with a cool nip in the air. The trees…

Jealous, Envious or Happiness

Perek 5: mishnah 19 mentions that ayin tovah is one of the traits that earns a person the title of “student of…

Time to Move

Life moves forward. Phases come and go. Situations change. And time continues to move. I look back and see how I always…

I Deserve It

  Hello. My name is entitlement. And I am here to protect you. You see, you have been through a lot, and…

A Wave from Above

A Wave from Above Brings Comfort It’s my nature. If I have questions I have to ask. This became a very important…

Do I Live in La-La Land

  248-968-8072.This was my phone number. For years. It was the number that I learned when I was old enough to learn…

My Story

Hello, my name is Miriam Ribiat and I just would like to thank Chazak for giving me this opportunity to speak on…

A Mother’s Tefillah

To My Twins, I walked into your room this morning and saw your bar mitzvah corner – your tefillin bags, your new…

Finding My Wings

I hate bugs. I don’t know what it is about bugs, but they can send me into a frenzy. Maybe an ant…

When the Journey Can Be the Reward

I have traveled many roads. Some were straight and easy, while others were dark and winding. Some of the roads led deep…

My Father

לעילוי נשמת אליהו בן שמואל יעקב כ”ט ניסן תשס”ט Remembering My Father My father was a real family man. He loved when…

Roundtable Night

A while back, my daughter’s school had a roundtable discussion with the mothers. There was a panel of teachers, and each teacher…

Do You Know Who You Are?

Do you remember that girl in your class who was really pretty, whose hair was always perfect? Did you compare yourself to…

A Mother’s Love

  Oftentimes, I wish I could think of just the right word; sometimes it seems to be on the tip of my…

Holding on to the Memories: My Scrapbooking Journey

  I have been told that I am a very emotionally rich person. Maybe that’s true, maybe it’s not. But I certainly…

Dear Bubby

Dear Bubby, I am so sad that I was only a baby when you were nifteres, and I never got to know…

Friendships Can Make all the Difference

Do you remember how the years of high school can be filled with social stigma and social anxiety? Social circles and social…

My Nephew Eli

He was gentle and he was kind. He was wise and witty. He was a dazzling beacon of sunlight to all those…

Vulnerable

Once upon a time there was a mother and a daughter. They lived happy, peaceful lives. Although they lived in different towns,…

Regular Me

One day I stopped and said, “I was always plain ordinary me. I am just so regular. What happened? My life is…

Dear Tanta Goldy

Dear Tanta Goldy, Although you were sick for a long while, with your petirah I realize how much I learned from you…

If I Were Dr. Seuss

If I was Dr. Seuss, my latest book might sound like this:  I miss my parents every day, I always miss them…

Finding Hope

Recently I was talking to a few friends, and the conversation turned to the word hope and its definition. I realized that…

What Does Hashem Want from Me Now? Learning to Let Go

I had called Esti on her office line on that Tuesday afternoon. Oftentimes when she was at work she didn’t answer the…

New Release! To Comfort and Be Comforted: A Guide to Nichum Aveilim

Yated Powerful Times Ten! Real comments overheard by those visiting shivah homes: “You still have other children.” “Don’t worry, you’re young. You’ll get remarried.”…

Ordinary People

Fear, Hope, Pride and Gratitude

My nephew became a bar mitzvah. We spent a beautiful Shabbos spent at my sister’s house. There were adults, teens, toddlers and…

My Bad Mood

It was simple. I was in a bad mood. I felt overwhelmed with too many things that had to be done. I…

Tante Goldy

I was young when we used to go visit my great-aunt Tante Goldy. But I remember her smile well. It lit up…

Shehechiyanu

Life is settling down into blessed routine. Yom tov was wonderful, B”H. Although very hectic as usual, there were so many special…

My Mother’s Yahrtzeit

I was about to leave to the grocery store when the phone rang. It was my mother. My stomach dropped. She didn’t…

Comfort From A Mountain

To My Dear Parents, So much has changed since the last time I spoke to you. I have so many things to…

A Day To Mourn

I was waiting for the phone call. I grabbed it as soon as it rang, and I heard the news. Mazel tov!…

Siyum Musings

My father called that day “Black Monday.” It was the day that the doctor said to my parents, “I am sorry, but…