Starting a New Year
This year I spent Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, thinking of how grateful I am for the full life I’ve been given in the past year, thanks to my experience in The Faith Club.
Ranya and Suzanne did not accompany me to Yom Kippur services this year, but they were very much with me in spirit as I sat in temple, praying to God to grant me and my loved ones another year of life. I heard the words of the prayers in a new way, remembering how Ranya, Suzanne and I had analyzed exactly what they meant to each of us. Every year, depending on what has transpired the year before, every prayer means something new to me.
The rich voice of our cantor always moves me to tears during the Kol Nidre service, on the first night of prayers. The haunting melodies I first heard while sitting next to my father always make me feel his presence and absence at the same time. This year I felt my mother’s absence as well, since she is safe and well cared for, but slipping away from me steadily as she fades into the world of Alzheimer’s.
I wished my parents were here, so they could see what a wonderful marriage I have, how good and kind my two sons are, and how my journey with Ranya and Suzanne has brought me, literally and figuratively to places I never imagined I would have had the strength to go.
I am so grateful to all of the people who have read our book and embraced our message, invited us to speak with them, and shared their stories and work with us.
I would like to thank each and every one of the people we’ve connected with in the last year, from Oman to Miami, for relating to us, as Martin Buber put it, “authentically and humanly,” because those connections have made me feel stronger and more alive than I ever have before.
I look forward to meeting so many more people in the year ahead, with Ranya and Suzanne by my side, as we tour the country in planes, trains and automobiles…
December 13th, 2007 at 6:12 pm
Priscilla, I am sure this has been a busy year for you. I loved reading about your excitement over meeting people. I believe the book you three have written is a book the world truly needs and I am doing everything I can to encourage others to read it. Some authors, including Dean Koontz have joined Gather to promote books. You might consider that also.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977199704
I know I am coming very late to this site and I hope you and Ranya and Suzanne read this and are encouraged to know that you are making a difference. I speak up more often in comments on Gather.com now when I see religious intolerance rearing it’s ugly head. I recommend your book to everyone I know.
Peace and all good,
Debbie
December 13th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Here is what one author is doing to promote her book on Gather.
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977201842
December 13th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Here is another example.. a live chat..
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977203100
December 13th, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Hi Debbie -
Thank you so much for your encouragement! I think I’m counting correctly when I say that we have been to 19 cities since September! We just got back from Denver and we are looking forward to spending some time with our families. We are also processing all of the amazing experiences we had on the road, in planes, trains and automobiles. We flew right over the fires of San Diego, which was a harrowing, humbling experience, leading us eventually to address a crowd of people, including several who had evacuated their homes, at St. James-by-the-Sea in La Jolla. We took an Amtrak train down to Philadelphia, where Gloria Dei Church organized an invigorating interfaith program on a sunny Saturday fall afternoon. We drove from Detroit across the border into Canada, to speak at The University of Windsor, after an exciting, uplifting event at the JCC in Detroit, where organizers counted 650 people in the audience!
We will write more about our book tour here and on our community page on Beliefnet.com. And yes, we will check out Gather.com as well. Thank you so much for energizing us!
December 14th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
Priscilla, thanks so much for responding. It sounds as if you have been very busy! I’m glad if I have been the least bit of encouragement, in your efforts.
So far, I have been unable to navigate the Beliefnet site well enough to find your page. I hope you can include a link for your future article.
Peace, and all good,
Debbie
December 29th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Hi Debbie,
We’re sorry our discussion group is not always on the front page of the Beliefnet website, but here is a direct link to our page there:
http://community.beliefnet.com/?page_id=1107&group_id=294
Thank you for your persistence…we look forward to having you join us!
Priscilla