Over the past couple of weeks, Rich and I have attended Saturday morning services and the congregational luncheon afterwards at the synagogue where I’ve been working now for close to a year (yup, time really does fly!). My purpose was simple: to say the mourner’s Kaddish (prayer) for my mom and find some grounding in my grief.
I’ve never been particularly religious and for much of my life, I have kept walls up from God— uncertain if a higher power even existed. And yet, in stepping into this community, I’ve discovered something unexpected. As Trent Shelton writes in his book, Protect Your Peace, “Boundaries aren’t walls to keep things out, they are bridges to let the right things in.”
Letting myself be present, allowing the warmth of others to reach me, has been quietly transformative. Hugs, smiles, small acts of kindness—they’ve welcomed me not as a visitor, but as someone who belongs. In that openness, I’ve found not only connection to my mom, but also a sense of peace, belonging, and shared humanity I didn’t know I was missing.
Grief has taught me that growth often comes through opening doors we thought should stay closed—and that the bridges we build can be stronger than the walls we once relied on. I may still wrestle with belief, but I do know that something spiritual has been unfolding in me, for some time now.
Maybe faith, for me, isn’t about having all the answers or certainty about God. Maybe it’s about showing up anyway. About standing in community, whispering an ancient prayer, and allowing myself to be held—by memory, by love, and by something greater than my doubts.
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YouAreEnough 