Dealing with Challenge

“To say we were broken would be an understatement, it felt as though the whole world was against us.”

Three years later, I’m still here.

I was in the ER because G-d wanted me there, and I was sick for a good reason, even if I didn’t understand that reason.

I see my struggle as a hidden gift from G‑d.

The truth surfaced bit by bit.

Our suffering is often compounded by our inability to reconcile any purpose for the suffering.

Why would G‑d permit my son’s life to hang in the balance?

I am not alone. My ancestors are with me.

I just didn’t see G‑d in the picture at all.

I was there six days a week for several weeks. No exceptions. It was made quite clear to me that no matter how terrible I felt, I had to have radiation every day.

G‑d knew Yosef would suffer from depression and put that into the calculations.

Going on without the day-to-day ties to someone you love is a necessary part of letting go of the deep, searing grief and turning back to your own life

I walked away without a scratch. But the driver I hit wasn’t so lucky.

As the second half of my enchanted year of studies began, my handwriting suddenly became totally illegible for no reason that I could ascertain. My voice inexplicably became monotonic, also apparently without reason.

Unlike the other people in the waiting room, my husband was attentive to the woman’s plight.

I am learning that G‑d has the power to save each of us; He literally saved my life.

I wondered if all of my personal and professional work during the past 40 years could possibly sustain me and my loved ones and my beloved “students” (aka clients).

I remember the day in September of 1989 when I walked out of my home in Saratov into the unknown future.

As a witness to this journey, I saw opportunities to learn how to parent as a loving educator, practicing humility, shedding many tears and calling out “Dear G‑d, please help him find his way, and please help me help him.”

My childhood ended when I was 10 years old. I left for overnight camp an innocent girl; two weeks later, I was called to the head counselor’s shack and told that I had to go home.

I decided to push forward and explain that I would be delighted to teach, but cannot do so on the two Saturdays in question because I am Jewish and observe the Sabbath.

We got the diagnosis on February 23, 2017, at 9 p.m. A new anniversary: before and after knowing your husband has cancer.

Ruth's son suddenly died. All those people who had known her son were not there to assuage her loneliness.

Being afraid to go out the door or being afraid of falling was like walking through life alone.

Why do I have to endure such pain and disability? For what reason had G‑d given me more time?

For a moment, I stood in frozen disbelief—and then started running with all my might. A voice inside said not to look back—to keep running. I never moved so fast, yet it felt like slow motion.

“Bring your husband to the hospital,” the doctor said after I told him Adam was having trouble walking because his feet were numb.

I have an eating disorder.The doctors call it anorexia nervosa, but I resent being put in a box with a nice little label.

Two sisters who lost their mother had found support from a woman struck with the same disease.

It was the most uncomfortable Shabbat I have ever experienced. What was meant to be a quick visit to the emergency room turned into a hospital admission over Shabbat, with no advance warning.

Maybe I turned down the wrong street. They all look alike.

We discussed issues of intense bitterness, anger and guilt, but also forgiveness, responsibility and letting go.

Esther Malka was born with a rare bone disease. When she was mainstreamed in first grade, her wheelchair no longer seemed like a throne; it began to irritate her.

It was devastating to watch as the cruelty of the mental illness began to steal his independence and the identity that he had established for himself. What was it that G‑d expected from me as we became engulfed by the darkness that seemed to control our lives?

I once brought a friend over for a Shabbat meal at Bubby’s house. Had I realized my friend was a picky eater, I might have chosen to bring along a different guest, or at least warn my friend of my Bubby’s background. But I realized my mistake too late.

I remember 13 years ago. An icy rain like death called to me from the west. I looked out the window in the darkness and shivered.

Although Jessica was clear about the direction she was headed, behind the scenes G‑d was preparing a detour with a totally different destination in mind.

There were lots of things I knew about Mr. Friedman, and many I didn’t. One fact I thought I understood was that he’s always been a man of ordinary means. So when I first heard about the Holocaust Torah, I thought I’d misunderstood.

Thousands of people have committed to say extra prayers or do extra mitzvot in my husband’s honor. The world is changing for the better. There is so much goodness and beauty all around. If I can see it from my little corner, I cannot begin to imagine what it must look like to You.

Perhaps it was nostalgia, or me trying to recapture whatever it was that I may have lost, but I started looking through some of my writing from years ago—words and experiences from a different place, and a time when bottomless sinks of dishes and baskets of laundry, utility bills and work e‑mails were not my primary concerns...

She knew that her mother was unlike other mothers. She knew that something had happened to her, but she was never exactly sure what had happened. Her past was divided into “The War” and “Before The War,” never talking about either...

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“You are the most despicable, disgraceful and rude person! I think you need to change your attitude, and I wish you luck!” And then she hung up the phone...

If a person has something of great value but doesn’t realize it, it is as if he does not really own it. In order to acquire something of value, it is first necessary to appreciate its true worth...