Praise for Recipes for a Sacred Life “Exquisite storytelling. Written in the spirit of Elizabeth Gilbert or Anne Lamott, Neshama’s stories (and a few miracles) are uplifting, witty, and wise.” —Publishers Weekly “Joy-filled and laugh-out-loud, this beautiful book can open your heart.” —Science of Mind magazine “Neshama’s own stories will inspire you to find the magic and meaning in your own everyday life.” —Bustle “A bright promise of awakening that comes from simple ingredients and life’s most everyday moments—sunrises, walks, animals, neighbors, parents, being a grandparent, and making lists. The tales carry a resonance similar to healing stories from Rachel Naomi Remen’s Kitchen Table Wisdom.” —Foreword Reviews “Recipes for a Sacred Life left us moved—and changed. Wise, poignant, funny, and inspiring.” —Redbook “Rivvy’s bite-sized stories will make you nod with deepest knowing. It’s a magical companion.”—HuffPost “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a guide to happiness? Recipes for a Sacred Life is the closest thing I’ve found. Powerful. Inspiring. About adding love and joy to the everyday.” —First for Women magazine Sandra Jonas Publishing PO Box 20892 Boulder, CO 80308 sandrajonaspublishing.com Copyright © 2020, 2013 by Rivvy Neshama All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used in any form whatsoever without the written permission of the author, except for brief quotations included in critical articles and reviews. Revised and expanded edition. Originally published in e-book and paperback by Divine Arts in 2013. Author photo by Darcy Kiefel, www.kiefelphotography.com. Cover photograph of Rivvy and her mother, Irene, was taken by her father, Bernard Feldman, in Miami, Florida, after he returned from serving in World War II. Cover design by Sandra Jonas Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Neshama, Rivvy, author. Title: Recipes for a sacred life : true stories and a few miracles / Rivvy Neshama. Description: Revised and expanded edition. | Boulder, Colorado : Sandra Jonas Publishing, 2020. | Notes: Originally published: Studio City, California : Divine Arts, 2013. | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: LCCN 2019953126 | ISBN 9781733338615 (trade paperback) 9781733338646 (cloth) | ISBN 9781733338660 (e-book) Subjects: LCSH: Spiritual life. | Spirituality. | LCGFT: Autobiographies. | BISAC: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Women | BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Social activists | BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Inspiration & personal growth Classification: LCC BL624 .N475 2020 | DDC 204.4 — dc23 LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2019953126 v1.9 DEDICATION To my mother, Irene Dashevsky Feldman, inspiration, dearest friend, and Princess of Germantown Ave, with whom this all began To my father, Bernard Saul Feldman, a teller of tales and a lover of life, with a spirit so big he still speaks in this book To my son, Tony, and daughter, Elise, for the love, the lessons, and the journey together To my grandchildren, Brendan, Jenna, Eli, Isaac, and Jordan, for the joy they give so abundantly (for which I am grateful to their loving parents!) To Sarah Bowler, with love and gratitude for her endless help, faith, and friendship And to John, my beloved. Of course. CONTENTS Welcome to the New Edition Beginnings PART ONE Basic Ingredients A Good Day to Die . . . or Not The Where to Begin Grateful in Harlem Tea and Compassion My Mother-in-Law’s Bedroom Miracles to Share Gracias, Gracias Life, Death, and Laughter A Good Day The Lord Is with Me . . . or Whatever Do the Right Thing This, Too, Shall Pass Poco a Poco PART TWO The Sun Is Rising Hello to the Sun The First Few Steps Words to Live By PART THREE Animal Chats and Other Unions with Nature In the Woods Animal Chats Odes to a Garden Simple Pleasures The Bird Connection With Beauty May I Walk PART FOUR To Forgive Is Devine Looking for God in All the Wrong Places What the Dalai Lama Said A Day to Remember Rites of Forgiveness PART FIVE Friends and Neighbors, Lovers and Strangers Do You Give to the Ones Who Are Drunk? The Ballad of Pam and Renato Buddies on the Path On the “A” Train What Is Wanted? What Is Needed? Confessions of a Listaholic A One-Minute Recipe from Mexico Young Babes and Old Broads Just Like Me Serving (People) (Dinner) Have a Great Day! Not. A Good Neighbor “_ _ _ _ Is Closer Than You Think” Come, Come, Come to the Fair Something about Angels Recipes for Partners: Keeping Love Sacred Everything I Know about Sacred Sex Take Care of Each Other PART SIX A Nature Recipe from Frank Lloyd Wright Study Nature Love Nature Stay Close to Nature PART SEVEN Sacred Space. Sacred Time. The Magic Hour Zen View A Sacred Space A Sacred Home One Holy Day PART EIGHT Soul Food Mrs. Zimnoski and Her Vegetables Sacred Sound Bites The Humble Oatmeal PART NINE Rituals and Celebrations: Birth to Death and In-Between Join the Family Hello to Dad, Nana, Uncle Bob, and . . . Meditations on Meditation Heart Like a Crystal Sister Judy’s California Meditation Recipe Greeting the Seasons Looking for Light Birth, Marriage, and Death Pictures and Words PART TEN This, Too, Is True Joy Kindness—Random or Not For Days When It’s Hard to Feel Grateful Slow The Sounds of Music Fortune Cookie Karma Do a Mitzvah. What’s a Mitzvah? This Being Winter. This Being Human. A Way to Dance Tikkun Olam Half Empty or Half Full? Speaking Spanish in Mexico One Last Song A Note from the Author Acknowledgments Endnotes and Permissions About the Author LA COCINERA (THE COOK) These teachings, take them with a grain of salt, the salt of your own being, your own mind and heart. Sniff it out. Does it smell right? Eso no, esta si. This yes, that no. Don’t be afraid to pick and choose. That’s what cooks do when they are making a dish. Este plato es tu propio mismo. This dish is you! —ELLEN STARK, 2009 WELCOME TO THE NEW EDITION Once, in a small town in Colorado, I drove past a Chinese restaurant called Double Happy. I never ate there, but I never forgot the name. I couldn’t decide if it was a little over the top or if it had a deeper, more philosophical meaning. When Recipes for a Sacred Life was first published in 2013 by Divine Arts, I was beyond happy, kind of in an altered state. I had dreamed of being an author since I was seven years old, and now that I officially was, everything felt more dreamlike than real. Now, with this new edition being launched by Sandra Jonas Publishing, I am both calm and excited. With a few new stories, a brand-new publisher, and a new cover photo—of my mother and me—it feels like a rebirth for my book, and I feel twice blessed. Double Happy? Perhaps. But I think there is a deeper meaning to that name. For what has given me the greatest happiness in regard to my book have been the notes I receive from readers, telling me how it brought them joy
