Mishpakha means "family." I have a large extended family, and we meet annually for four days during Thanksgiving. There are over a hundred of us when we get together, and we spend those days visiting with each other, laughing and talking and seeing city sites. The musicians in the family jam after dinner every night and the cousins sing. And it's awesome.

It's four days, but that isn't enough time. It's impossible to have in-depth conversations with many people when you have to spend so much of that time catching up. We always leave feeling like we didn't get to connect with everyone. I decided to try to do something about it.

Design problem: How can I help my family use those few short days more efficiently so that we can make the most out of the precious time we have together? What can I do to help us feel more connected as the branches of our family tree grow and extend around the world? I decided to create a family newsletter.

I sent out a questionnaire to every family member, and they sent back information about what they've been up to during the year since the last Thanksgiving. I created the first Mishpacha Mirror in 1991. It was 12 pages.

And as new technology came along, the little newsletter evolved into a 100 page magazine. My cousins are all doing incredible things, so I am never hurting for material. I include stories about weddings and new babies and travel. I started choosing a theme every year, and I love being creative with the abundance of material.

This year, I'm making it digital. It will be an amazing family resource that will be easily accessable and usable. It will be an ongoing entity, not a yearly edition. I have a lot of ideas in the works. I'm excited for the new incarnation.