Before laying my very tired head on the pillow tonight, I feel the need to write something to say, I’m here for you, and I’m hopeful.

This blog has always been a place to be real about infertility, loss, and HOPE.

When Emmett arrived in our world, prayers were answered, and all the hopes and prayers came true.

If we would have thrown in the towel on hope, Emmett most certainly wouldn’t have been here smiling ear to ear.

The world seemingly turned upside down this week. Perhaps it’s been coming a bit longer, but it became real this week. As if we were living in a movie, everyday life just hit pause. As a woman who is constantly on the go, constantly working for her community, and constantly in four places at once… I suddenly became frozen in time, and I know you did too.

It wasn’t a time to sit still, though. I had to fight the urge to turn on reality tv and ignore actual reality… and I had to he the best version of myself so that I could be there for you. When our congregation began making plans to close our doors to the public, it was unprecedented. The place where we constantly invite you to join us, the place we go for spiritual growth and comfort, was suddenly closed.

I realized our community needed to stay connected… immediately. Thanks to my cantor BFFL, our community partnered with our sister synagogues in LA and we launched jewitathome.com. Not even a week later, it’s running 12 hours a day with constant programming for the public, for free. Our services, Torah study, lessons, song sessions and more have all gone digital. It wasn’t because of me, but instead, it was because of hope. We hope the world will resume so we can reach out and hug our friends, we hope we can go back to the gym, the stores, the restaurants. We hope we can be social once again. Above that, we hope that we can continue to live our lives while inside our home, social distancing, removed from the world… and that includes doing Jewish.

Life did not stop, it changed. We are scared, but we are hopeful. We are praying for those who contracted the virus, and we are hopeful they will heal, that the bereaved find comfort, that our family and friends stay safe, and that we are safe.

We are resilient, and hopeful. May the curve flatten, may our businesses recover, and may we be able to travel, socialize, receive education, pray, etc, in person. May I have the opportunity to say to Emmett, “Back when you were a very little baby, we dealt with something called coronavirus, and it was awful, but look how wonderful the world is now.”

May you wake up tomorrow filled with hope. Please know, I’m here for you as your cantor and your friend. While I’m trying to check in with each of you, feel free to reach out if you need anything at all.

Chazak, chazak v’nitchazek… be strong, be strong, and we will be strengthened.