All posts filed under: Generosity

Cambodian Santa

Published by jimsherblom

Cambodia is an extraordinary place, especially at Christmas. Despite the Kmer Rouge genocide of nearly a third of the Cambodian population in the late 1970’s, they are a gentle happy people. Despite being a deeply religious Theravada Buddhist country, they welcome any reason to celebrate life. Despite having no evergreen trees, snow, or Christian traditions, they celebrate Christmas in joyous fashion, so much so that many middle class Chinese tourists travel to Seam Reap, Cambodia to celebrate Christmas. The big tourist hotels are decked out in Christmas lights, Santa and his reindeer, fake trees, and displays which makes it look like it is snowing in a country which never experiences snow. My last night of spiritual pilgrimage I took my Cambodian guide Tek, and his nine and six-year-old daughters out to dinner at a restaurant of their choice. The girls, Regina and Reginie, chose their favorite meal of French fries and pizza. The girls attend Kmer public school from 7:30 am to 1:30 pm weekdays, and after going home for lunch, attend an English language …

Sherblom Family Forest

Published by jimsherblom

As part of my family’s attempt to positively impact global climate change we donated money for Camino Verde to acquire and restore forty acres of Amazonian rain forest. This short youtube video provides a first glimpse at what they are calling the Sherblom Family Forest. 🙂

New Hope

Published by jimsherblom

The week after the announcement of my termination as Chairman and CEO of TSI was in the WSJ a prominent Boston venture capitalist, who we pitched on numerous occasions but who had never invested, called to assure me there was life after public executions. He offered to invest $2 million from his fund in whatever I decided to do next. I began watching Steven Spielberg’s movie Hook, where Peter Pan has grown up to be a clever financier who dabbles in mergers and acquisitions, and forgets the essence of his being, until his nemesis Captain Hook steals Peter’s children and forces him to return to Never Land to remember who he is so that he can save his children. I must have watched that movie 20 or 30 times, long after my wife and children grew bored with it, but this was my situation. The movie Hook became a Delphic oracle explaining my fall from grace. Now I needed to rediscover my true identity, decide who to truly be, and find my right occupation for …

Living Joyfully

Published by jimsherblom

Rev. Dr. Jim Sherblom, Senior Minister at First Parish in Brookline (MA), Unitarian Universalist, preaches on his five favorite spiritual practices in his sermon entitled “Living Joyfully” on December 20, 2015. Living Joyfully – December 20th, 2015 (PDF)