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My journal about my conversion to Judaism. |
| I started writing my conversion story in June 2023, even though it started before then. It will not be in chronological order as I remember things from the past that brought me to this point in my life. My decision to convert was not an easy one. I grew up Pentecostal. I watched my grandma speak in tongues. My aunt played keyboard in the church band. I used to attend church (a member of a Baptist church for many years) 3 to 4 times a week. I did not start my journey of healing after my divorce and expect to end up here. However, my desire and work to grow closer to G-d has left me no doubt or question about where I am now. I have no hesitation in my conversion to Judaism. This is my story of leaving Christianity and becoming a part of a people that I will be able to, one day, proudly say that I am also. A Jew. |
| Imagine one day you wake up and the flower garden that you enjoyed yards away from your home is suddenly a concrete bomb shelter. This is the reality in Israel. One artist Elyasaf Miara missed the beautiful flowers that were once there, and so, he decided to do something about it. That one painting of the bomb shelter in his hometown became a full time job. He now goes around the country painting bomb shelters. https://www.youtube.com/@elyasafmiara3934/videos I feel selfish for missing the country, but I do. I miss the flowers everywhere and the over abundance of trees and animals. I miss houses that look different and are spread far apart, or are tiny little structures overlooking a lake. I try to imagine what it would be like for the little bit of beauty that I have here in the city to be gone. There were women who survived October 7 who spoke. One woman left the area with her children and took her single mother neighbor with her as part of her family. Her nephew and brother-in-law did not make it out alive. Another woman hid with her 9 year-old daughter who has been battling anxiety attacks and nightmares. When she said, "I knew that I had to be strong for her and assure her that everything would be okay. Because I had to." I knew that she would be okay. That is a phrase that every mother who has gone through trauma with her children has said, and has done. These people didn't just take the phrase "Never give up" and live by it. They transformed it into "I refuse to give up and will do all I can to help you keep going too." Listening to their stories was truly inspiring. If we are to surround ourselves with the people that we wish to emulate, then I know that I am in the right place. I see kindness in so many actions. I see love, concern, and care for one another on a daily basis. They are also so giving of their most precious commodity, time. There is no place that I would rather be on earth than right here, right now. My heart is full. |
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