Greetings! This is the first post on "Make Your Life a Blessing."

What does "Make Your Life A Blessing have to do with your work or life? Isn't it religious? What if you do not believe in God? Or do not believe that blessings (as you may have known them) have anything to do with reality. Let me explain a bit...

When my father was dying, I was desperate for a healing prayer. I called my rabbi and learned the Jewish prayer for healing: "And let us have the courage...to make our lives a blessing...and let us say Amen."

That was enormously comforting to me. I didn't know whether the prayer would alleviate my father's suffering or cure him, or prolong his life. But I did know, deep down, that the prayer was also for me, to find the courage to keep living without a very important parent, to be existentially alone.

What gives us the courage to keep going? What gives us the courage to search for a life of meaning? How to find work that is meaningful? How to choose the right livelihood? How to avoid bitterness and cynicism? How can we continue to practice generosity toward others when so often people who are close to us disappoint us?