Today is different.

Today began like most of my days at home, with me drinking a hot cup of tea on my patio. I listen to one of my favorite sounds, the sweet laughter of children from the summer camp at the school adjacent to our house. This week is also my father-in-law’s yahrzeit; it’s been 24 years since he passed away. This reminder is a striking contrast to the joyfulness I hear outside my back gate. It’s a full circle moment. Yet today is different because I am different.

I spent the last three days with my sister-in-law and 400 other Zionists at the Hadassah National Conference. Today I reflect on the education provided by physicians and medical directors serving those injured on the front lines, an ambassador, IDF soldiers, and others. I had important conversations with a diverse group of like-minded women and have new tools to cope with the current state of the world.

The stories I heard the last three days are one of the reasons I left a long career in corporate communications to help regular people write their memoirs. The book I’ve just finished is something really special. Authored by a Top 10 American business school professor, it explores what seem to be nine contradictions in life and in leadership. I’ll post the link when it’s available on Amazon this fall.