Dearest friends,
I hope and pray that you and your families are healthy and in good spirits.
One year into the COVID pandemic, I am reflecting on some of the things I’ve learned, gained and experienced over this last year.
This year, I:
- for the most part stopped wearing shoes and make up (and omg it’s awesome!!)
- walked 2-3 miles with my boys, holding hands, every day
- realized my love/respect/adoration for my husband was deeper than I imagined
- participated/sang in nearly 300 Zoom events, worldwide
- became my own graphic designer (see the photo above for some of my faves!)
- created a new relationship with the concept of time (which I hope to speak more about in the future…)
- am more grateful for every moment of my life than I ever have been…
I’ve also been quite emotional to discover a new facet of my own artistic and spiritual journey. Growing up as an orthodox woman meant that I did not speak certain prayers out loud. But this year has changed me and opened my life to the honor of leading prayer with communities around the world. This year and beyond, I will continue to build upon this holy work and am deeply inspired to see what comes next.
It was an incredible honor that UJA-Federation of New York asked me to take part in a virtual gathering they called “Healing and Hope” to mark the one year anniversary of the pandemic. I recorded a new version of B’Shaim HaShem, the song which calls on the angels to surround us with healing, inner strength, light, and love, and was joined in song by children and older adults from the NY Jewish community. What resulted was magical: the song was brought to life by clips of life-saving work of volunteers and professionals from UJA distributing food, vaccinating Holocaust survivors, and rebuilding our fragile world. I was humbled to support this gathering and the healing vision for our world the song represents.
Click here to see the entire program, and click here to see B’shaim HaShem.
Friends, my schedule is posted here, please feel welcome and invited to all the events I’m doing. If you can’t get the link, for some reason, please reach out to me directly and I will help. If you would like to invite me to be a part of a Zoom event (or even speak about a live event post-pandemic!), please reach out as well. I would love to sing with you! 🙂
May our beautiful and broken world continue to heal, may we find great health and communal joy again. May we find a new moment of transformation and growth without forgetting all we lived through and lost this past year.
Sending love, light and blessings to you, in all corners of our world,
Yours,
Neshama
