Rabbi Pamela Jay Gottfried
Returning to Myself
Still, I permitted my rational self to overrule my fear of failure as I recalled the wise advice of Eleanor Roosevelt: “We must do the things we think we cannot do.”
Eldest Daughter Syndrome
I told her she’s an amazing daughter, and I confessed to her all the ways I believe I have failed my mother.
Your Final Itinerary is Confirmed
Planning a vacation when your parent is dying presents a host of challenges I hadn’t anticipated.
Finding Friends-in-Faith
My heart fills with hope, a hope that I’d find a path back to who I was, or a path forward to who I was becoming.
Practicing Equanimity
I’ve come to believe that the practice of composing spiritual poetry in specific forms can itself be a spiritual practice of cultivating equanimity.
Learning from the Pain of the Narrow Places
April 1st, 2024: the day my mind rebelled against my body stubbornly insisting that I was fine, when, in fact, I was an April Fool.
Failing at the Fifth Commandment
The guilt over having abandoned Mom in a memory care facility is unbearable.
Writing My Grief
I endeavor to become the container for the anxiety, fear, and grief of my community members, while I test the limits of my own endurance.
Doing the Work, Together
We can remind one another: It’s not any one person’s duty to complete the work and no one person can do all of the work.