Every Yom Kippur, we read the story of the prophet Jonah, who was ordered to go to a non-Jewish city called Nineveh to tell them to repent. The Jews at the time were a mess and Jonah knew that the non-Jews he was going to would indeed repent. He didn't want to go, which is … Continue reading Jonah – Running from G-d
We had a good meeting with our sponsoring Rabbi last night who reassured us that he still plans on us converting in April 2018. He has plans and is confident that they will work out. So, we have only to trust him and continue doing what we're doing. While this has all been playing out, … Continue reading What You Get With Waiting
I've been silent for a while, contemplating my own personal storm that was shaking up my little world when I began to see pictures yesterday of a real storm, one that has displaced so many people, the storm down in Houston, Texas. Seeing that level of devastation puts my own storm into a much more … Continue reading After the Rain
I watched a really deep and profound shiur (class) once that said that the tears of a woman are the rain that causes blessings to come from above, that a woman's tears have great power to soften Hashem and call upon his mercy. Today, since it is fall and our rainy season, it is a … Continue reading Conversion Setbacks and Crying in the Rain
His eyes lingered just a moment too long focused on the heads of my husband and son their kippahs casually sitting there a week ago, I wouldn't have noticed now, a chill ran down my spine He was normal we were in a store were his eyes hard, predatory? or did he even notice us? … Continue reading A Week Ago
I feel it's important to share this article, written by the President of a Reform Synagogue in Charlottesville, Virginia about their firsthand experiences this past weekend. It's a really well-written account that captures all the complexity of their experiences. It does talk about the fear as armed white supremacists marched past their Synagogue shouting Nazi … Continue reading What Is It Like When Nazis March Past Your Synagogue?
The Sabbath still ends pretty late up here. Havdalah was at 11:35 last night and we weren't done until later. There were a lot of visitors this weekend and things ran a little late. By chance, we opted to drive home after havdalah, to sleep in our own beds instead of the RV. I came … Continue reading The View Of Virginia From Alaska
I am not a patient person by nature. Even at a young age, I was gifted with a strong will to push forward. The characters in books and movies I admired were adventurers who pressed forward, not people who patiently waited for their fates to find them. As a daughter of midwestern farmers, sprouted from … Continue reading Patience, Patience, and a little More Patience
I write today because I don't know if I will tomorrow I know my mind will slow the words will crawl from my lips slowly, with effort dragging each thought behind them on a back bent and weary On fast days, I drift from this world closer to another, my mind stilled my focus blurred … Continue reading The Fast that Begins the Three Weeks
In the years I've been in process I've been privileged to be in contact with a lot of other conversion candidates as well as interact with a few in person. It occurred to me recently that I've seen a lot of common mistakes by those just starting out that could be avoided if they had … Continue reading Common Conversion Candidate Blunders…and How to Avoid Them!
Race is a complicated, emotional issue, particularly right now in the US. For me, though, my focus lately is much more on something much closer to me than the headlines, but I didn't realize it until I was discussing recent headlines with a friend who happens to be a person of color. She said something … Continue reading Losing My “Whiteness?”
Last Friday, my calendar popped up a notice. It had been 6 years since the day I had decided to convert. I had miscounted and all this year I had been thinking it was 7. Somehow, 7 seems so much longer than 6 and I was comforted by that idea. That day, I was overrun … Continue reading 6 Years
