Motley Moose – Archive

When I published the first version of this diary in 2010 it seemed to resonate with a lot of people. It has been, by far, the one post of mine most often requested for republication. Something happened last night that made me realize it’s time to post it again: a woman I love, a woman I’ve never met, went silent last Sunday. I first met Linda Kay Thurman on another blog, writing as In her own Voice, and we eventually became facebook friends. Over time her blogging was replaced by grandchildren, but Linda kept her online friends close and engaged and delighted with her stories and photos and daily thoughts.

Sunday, Linda’s updates stopped abruptly. She had somewhere to go, probably just an errand or dinner out, and two blocks from her home a drunk driver ran a stop sign at high speed and ended her beautiful life instantly. If her daughters hadn’t had her facebook sign-in information – and used it last night – many of Linda’s hundreds of friends might never know why she seemed to vanish in thin air.

I joined a Progressive Reform Synagogue about a year and a half ago. I first wrote about an experience I had there in this diary. Last year I wasn’t too active beyond taking my daughter to Hebrew and Sunday School, a few Friday Night Services here and there and the High Holy Days. I really had no idea how involved the Social Justice and Food Justice committees were in educating and organizing the congregation. I only just became involved a couple weeks before NetrootsNation2013 when I received an email from the Rabbi about my protesting the Keystone Pipeline, would I like to join a meeting about incorporating Climate Change into a Friday Night Service? Um, yes.

I was one of a panel of three in which we were asked to bring awareness about Climate Change to our congregation in the context of the upcoming Tisha B’Av and to describe our personal connection to Climate Change. I learned about the association between Tisha B’Av and Climate Change initially from our Rabbi and then through reading the work of Rabbi Arthur Waskow. I am often amazed at the depth of knowledge and feeling that some people are capable of conveying, and these two Rabbi’s are no exception.

I experienced a lot of anxiety about writing this presentation, I felt lost, like an outsider trying to talk about something of which she really doesn’t understand. My original draft had nothing original in it. So I took a break and read some diaries on Daily Kos, and I found my inspiration.

Some things deserve the honor of our tears and our sadness.

was written in a comment in response to a writer’s grief. What I followed that sentence up with is block quoted below and was presented to the congregation.