Archive for July, 2009
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Thursday, July 30th, 2009
I just returned from a stunning two-hour bike ride with Gonzalo, my brother-in-law. We left his house as the sun was rising, and biked through the rolling hills of Wisconsin farmland. At certain points I was sure I was plucked from my sister’s house and inserted into a gorgeous landscape painting. In a couple of hours, my sister Chrissy and our kids will awaken, and we’ll drive out to a farmhouse we’ve rented, where the rest of the family will join us for a long weekend – twenty-plus people all together.
I am home.
Recently, at book events, it occurred to me that I am perceived as someone who left one life behind to embrace another.
Tags: Manhattan
Posted in Wisconsin | No Comments »
A video from my son
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
What can I say? I just can’t give up this blog. While The New Jew Blog focuses on all things related to interfaith nuances and conversion, this blog is about, well, life! And, as we all know, life is in the moments.
One of those moments is still with me. Last May had many a momentous occasion – Harrison’s bar mitzvah and my book publishing among them. Yet, there is one day that stands out amongst those: Mother’s Day. Harrison and Olivia always pull out the stops, and it never fails to leave me thinking, “What did I do to deserve such thoughtfulness? Olivia made me an incredible diorama of my love for the country and cattle drives. Harrison expressed himself through his recent love of filmmaking. Check out what he made for me.
Tags: conversion, interfaith
Posted in Jewish video, bar mitzvah, conversion | 4 Comments »
Life After the Mikvah
Monday, July 13th, 2009
“What we really need is a place to talk about what happens next,” a reader recently suggested at my book signing table.
“Next?” I asked.
“Yes. What happens after you convert. Because, I have to tell you, things got very interesting for me after I converted.”
It was something I had considered myself. While I identify myself as many things, and not any one thing – mother, Californian, New Yorker, Midwesterner, Jew, friend, single, green builder, student – there are many times when my identity as a convert comes up.
Tags: conversion, convert, Jewish camp, mikvah
Posted in conversion | 1 Comment »