My apologies for being quiet on here! The Jewish holidays have kept me busy. Below, please find my latest article on The Wisdom Daily that captures a lot of what I spoke about on the first day of Rosh HaShanah.
THE UNEASY BALANCE OF HOLINESS
I got a message on my blog a few months ago that shocked me. It was in response to a fun story that I wrote and shared on the blog on Mother’s Day. The story is a creative spin on the biblical creation story, one that describes how mothers came to possess a special spark created by God. You can read the entire story here.
The shocking message that I received was from a woman who thanked me for my story explaining that it deeply touched her, so much so that it caused her to cancel an appointment she’d made to end her pregnancy. The woman, who was six weeks pregnant, said that my story showed her what she was about to give up. “I want to be a mother and share that spark with my child…I am going to have this child thanks to you.”
The fact that my story had such a life changing impact on this woman made me really uncomfortable. I wanted to share with her that I support a woman’s right to choose. I wanted her to know that I would be happy to speak with her about her decision and wouldn’t look down on her if she chose another path. I tried to reach out to her. But I never heard back.
Today, the woman is at least 6 months into what I hope is a healthy pregnancy. I’m still troubled that my story had the impact that it did and I know that to some this might sound terrible. And so I’ll add the confusing reality that I also feel good that my story will lead to the birth of a baby in a few months and, hopefully, this baby will lead a wonderful life. I feel good and, at the same time, disheartened by the fact that by feeling good, I’m identifying with the other side of what remains a painful issue in our country.
To read the rest of the article, please click here.
