All That Matters

It's the little things sometimes. Small, seemingly pieces of trivia, that allow us to understand and see things in a richer way. Jan shares several odd and fascinating facts we might never know about the world, along with a true story of how, with a scratch of a pen, a last minute change of name altered the course of history.

Life brings with it grief and loss that lead us to deepening our purpose and love. Jan shares the story of a hit musical recently featured on PBS in a new London production that reminds us how essential feeling "all the feels" of life can be to our health and to our hope.

Jan shares with us a recent visit to a dying woman and his interaction with her daughter and how, together, they discovered the best gift each of us has to give another at all times.

Witty, incandescent art that shakes the way you look at the world, that was the gift of composer, theatre artist, William Finn who died recently. Never heard of him? You have now. Jan celebrates the ways Finn's music and truth lifted his spirit and helped him reframe family, life, and love.

Our days can become so hectic and tension-filled, we need a shot of positivity. Besides this podcast, Jan shares suggestions from a variety of artists, designers, and writers, small ways we can each find an oasis of uplift in our daily lives.

At times we wrestle with darkness and despair. After all, it's part of life. Jan shares a personal story of a dying woman with whom he recently spent time and how she found balance and light in the lives she has touched, a hope and positivity expressed in poems he highlights on this week's podcast.

How do we use this element by which we measure life-Time? How we do brings meaning and purpose to our lives. Jan shares the precious advice his father gave him at the end of his life--a gift of love.

Those with autism can feel pressure differently than others. Jan shares the true story of two players on TV's reality show SURVIVOR, and how one person taking action to help regulate another can inspire all of us to reach beyond ourselves to help make the world more whole, bringing the healing of the human touch.

Every year several world organizations study the data to find where in the world people are the happiest and why? Jan shares the newly released latest findings and shows just how poisonous negativity can be and how powerful positivity is in changing the quality of our lives right now, today.

Recently, Monty the Giant Schnauzer won Best In Show at Westminster, the world's most renowned Dog Show. But did you know he could teach you Torah? Jan shares how one dog can inspire us to be the best version of ourselves!

Each of us wants to discover even more of the good stuff life offers. That good stuff often comes with empowerment born of wisdom gleaned from sacred wounds. Jan shares the ultimate question posed by Abraham Joshua Heschel, one that helps us see the invisible gifts right in front of us.

This past week the oldest known survivor of the Holocaust died. She was 113 years old. Jan shares the true story of Rose Girone. Her example of incredible, awe-inspiring fearless living, in the wake of the worst evil mankind can produce, is a gift and inspiration to us all.

How do we find our way when life sends struggle our way? Is there a gift we might find, if we can drain the pain? Jan shares the true story of a young girl who bravely shared her own gift born of illness and challenge and transformed her pain into a 'sacred wound.'

When we take the time to learn the rest of someone's story, it can make all the difference. Jan shares his childhood memory of broadcaster Paul Harvey and his story of a young man whose encounter with another musician would help the young boy go on to impact  the music of the world.

Tuning out the chaos and madness of our daily lives, we find a tuning fork in poetry. Jan shares how his poet mother set him on a journey blessed with poems. With the words of poet David Whyte, he invites the listener to find the way back to our truest selves and the house of our own belonging.

With fear and rage all around is in social media and news headlines, Jan urges us to reframe our daily lives by asking a simple question: what's good about today? He provides a few keys as to how to find the good stuff and reminds us of key advice from Anne Frank, the Dalai Lama, and Audrey Hepburn.

How to find hope? Remembrance is a powerful tool. Jan shares the story of the creation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day taking place this week the world over, and how the children of Terezin help us remember darkness as a pathway to light. "Hope is like peace. It is not a gift from God. It is a gift only we can give one another." Elie Wiesel

In a time of division and the changing of the guard in America, Jan is reminded of a brilliant poem Amanda Gorman wrote for Joe Biden's inauguration four years ago. The words are more powerful tan ever, challenging us to be brave enough to uncover the light in ourselves so needed in difficult times, in our own lives, in that of a country, and of the world. Are we brave enough to be it?

The devastation of this past week's Southern California wildfires reminds us of the fragility of life. It calls on us to resilience through our compassion and deeds. Jan shares the words of poet Marge Piercy and the power of connectivity and community as a pathway to hope.

Dickinson tells us that,"Hope is a thing with feathers..." As we begin a new year we get to allow this soft bird of hope to take flight within us. How will it manifest? Jan shares a poet's view of new beginnings for 2025.

Louis Armstrong was a true American jazz hero and ambassador of how wonderful life could be. He experienced his share of racism and saw firsthand the inhumanity of antisemitism as well. Jan shares the personal story of Satchmo's Jewish connection and his choice to wear a Star of David around his neck throughout life.

Did you ever wonder what or who inspired that hit song? Jan shares the true background behind several popular songs, considering how they grew out of relationships, as well as their aspiration to change. Each one of us is capable of rebuilding ourselves piece by piece, as we end one year and begin another.

Many can feel weighted by pressures, ills, and life's struggles, especially in the darkest time of the year. It is no coincidence that Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa take place at this time with their messages of light. Jan shares the "rest of the story" of a man, William Ernest Henley who, though ill and struggling much of his life, created a poem of empowerment that has inspired the likes of R...

The movie musical has exploded on the scene with its message of how we treat the "other" in society and yet how friends can change us "for good." Jan celebrates the vision of Stephen Schwartz to turn the book into musical before a film, and how each of us can find ourselves, our better selves, in the eyes of a friend.

Four years ago in the midst of the pandemic, Jan started this podcast to share stories that reframe the way we live and look at life. It was a call for positivity in a sea of worries. This is that first podcast, a brief tale of the need to open our eyes and hearts in order to recognize the gifts that are all around us. Jan's voice has changed ever so slightly, as we all do. But the truth of the ta...