: About Me

Long before Katrina washed over the Big Easy, a little girl named Sharon skipped along oak-lined St. Charles Avenue, thinking about how she'd make waves over the Crescent City when she grew up. She worked on perfecting her imitation of Judy Garland's rendition of "Singin' in the Rain" and dreamed(somewhat incongruously, admittedly) of becoming the next Frances Hodgsen Burnett, or perhaps L. M. Montgomery.

Childhood being what it is, an abundance of dreams vied for this little girl's heart: Reveries of an isolated lighthouse on a rocky Massachusetts coast alternated with fantasies of Manhattan penthouses and paparazzi, gradually giving way to images of a child-filled apartment in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Life allots us the realization of only so many childhood dreams. While I am now happily ensconced in a Jerusalem apartment with my husband and six children, I have yet to write the Great American novel, and most of the songs I sing are lullabies. (Neither are the paparazzi anywhere in sight. Thank goodness all your dreams can't come true!)

To be honest, my goals are more modest than novel-writing, at this stage. Since I love words and enjoy pondering over just that perfect phrase, I want to squeeze a bit of time out of my busy schedule to write articles and essays. While I worked in the past as a technical writer, and would like to return to the field when my littlest bundle of joy heads off into the big, wide world of nursery school, I'm interested in trying my hand at a wide range of topics. Helium certainly provides a variety of titles to choose from, and I hope I will be able to use this forum as a springboard for further writing opportunities.

My passion is ...

I love writing almost as much as I enjoy reading political journals, particularly Commentary Magazine, National Review Online, and anything by Mark Steyn or Caroline Glick

I know too much about ...

I don't believe it's possible to know too much about anything

My parents always told me ...

To figure out how I could contribute to my surroundings

My childhood ambition ...

To be an author/singer/actress/etymologist/engineer-the last because my father told me that Israel needed engineers

My favorite memory ...

That would have to be the birth of my last child

Why I write ...

Because I love words

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

The Last of the Mohicans

My first job ...

Medical typist for my parents

My inspiration ...

My mother

Society & Lifestyle > Social Values & Norms Behind the name: Nathan

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The name "Nathan" derives from the Hebrew na-tan, "he gave." Actually, the proper translation of the name requires a capital "He"; the giver of this child is, of course, God. In addition to thankfully acknowledging the divine gift of life, the name Nathan pays tribute to the virtue of generosity. As befits its admirable meaning, the name first appears historically in the person of the Biblical prophet Nathan. In the Book of Samuel, Nathan advises ancient Israel's King David. Most memorably, he relays God's disapproval of the monarch's unscrupulous method of winning Bathsheba's hand in marr...

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