What happens when a 30 year-old, Jesus loving, bible-quoting Christian woman moves from a relatively small Oklahoma town to the big city of Charlotte and finds herself embedded in the Jewish community (employed at the JCC) for 22 years? Life happens . . . beautiful, mind-opening, heart expanding, belief challenging LIFE! – seasoned with a lot of “oy veys” and a few matzah balls.
Bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, Passover Seders, Rosh Hashanah and fasting with a heart full of repentance on Yom Kippur culminating in a festive “breaking of the fast” celebratory feast with my Jewish friends – you name it, this Oklahoma Christian girl got to enjoy it and I savored every minute of it . It is then that they began to tell me, “You’re what we like to call, Jewish!”
Why? How could this happen? It happened because I was welcomed. Folks who recognized my heart’s desire to connect and learn more about their rich culture and unique traditions invited me and I said “yes.” So simple, right?
Year after year I was invited into Jewish (Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed) people’s homes and into their hearts. So fortunate was I to see the rich traditions, the love of family and the open-hearted selfless giving to total strangers, the less fortunate, the disabled and the mentally frail. Weekly, I witnessed everyday people from all walks of life being treated as equals and friends – this changed me, not just momentarily, but forever. I guess what really struck me was “a walk that matched the talk.” While there was no mention of Jesus – there was certainly actions which matched his instructions for us all.
With every encounter and every celebration I was blessed to enjoy – my very small box containing my quite limited, myopic view of God got stretched and strained at the seams. “You mean God is bigger than my own beliefs and concepts?”
One day, after years of contemplation and soul exploration, I let go of all my preconceived notions, humbled myself and with much trepidation, I said out loud in front of God and the universe, “I don’t know anything!” My tiny box was shattered and I it felt like shackles unleashed my heart – sweet freedom from myths, dogma and divisive constructs of man! It was a true rebirth of consciousness, spirituality and unfettered exploration of my own thoughts. For the first time in my entire life, I truly felt no insulation between myself and others who were completely different from me – no walls, just human connection. Opening my mind was the genesis of love – which ironically enough is now my only thought left when I ponder a creator of this ever expanding universe – just love and light – nothing more.
4 years have come and gone since I moved from Charlotte and my much beloved Jewish friends who became like family. Now I live in the beautiful culturally diverse city of Houston. Every day I have the ultimate privilege to connect and interact with people from all over the world and because I once dared to say “yes,” I am no longer that narrow-minded girl from Oklahoma who believed I had “the way.” I am just me, a fellow human being, no longer limited or defined by any label. And it is all because I once dared to be “Jewish!”
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
The above article Alison is the one that I love the most, but it is hard to choose because you are amazing in the way you express yourself. Love your honesty, love and the warm way you describe yourself. The way you talk about “rebirth of consciousness” lifts me up to a higher level. Love what you do with words! Just keep doing it so we can all be wrapped in your Love & Light!
Judy, your lovely words just underscore the beautiful truths I discovered under the inclusive tent of Judaism. Thank you for sharing, caring and following. So grateful am I!