My Faith Today

I am the daughter of a heterosexual White Christian couple from Tennessee. I am the granddaughter of many generations of southern families. I am unclear if any of my family ever owned slaves, but I won’t rule it out. I was raised in the church, but in reflecting upon everything I learned as a child, it was not the church that taught me how to be a good person – it was my mother and my grandmothers.

These three women taught me the value of everyone’s lives. These three women taught me about the importance of love. These three women taught me the values of kindness and compassion towards all people.

As a child, I saw hatred, and I saw racism. But these three women taught me to love everyone – no matter the color of their skin, economic status, or if they were LGBTQIA+. 

Maybe they disagreed with abortion. 
Maybe they disagreed with someone being gay. 

But they believed that every single human life is precious and deserves to be treated equally and that love should be selfless and full of kindness.

The faith I practice today is guided by the principles my mother and grandmothers instilled into me. To love the stranger, care for the other, and be there in a time of need for anyone. To hold their hand, lend a shoulder, cook a hot meal, or help them fight the oppression they faced.

I feel like my grandmothers, one a Catholic and one a Methodist, would be broken-hearted over the world today. 

I feel that, even if they were frail, they would be finding a way to love those most impacted by the rights being taken away. My grandmother was so full of patriotism and belief that America was such a great place. She believed America to be a place of opportunity – not a place that took away our rights. Sometimes I wonder if the hope and faith in this beautiful America died with her when she passed away 16 years ago.  

When I think about this, I want to cry. Cry over the thought of my grandmother losing the hope of America, the beautiful. I want to make this place we live into the place she saw and dreamt about.  

In the last week, we’ve not only lost Roe but also Miranda rights and separation of church and state. Our Supreme Court has also overthrown states’ rights that prohibit or place limits on the carrying of concealed weapons, handguns, and other killing machines. This was written in what was happening in America as of June 25, 2022.

Forgiveness

One of the things I struggle the most with in my life is isolation. I think for many people, this is the first time they have truly dealt with isolation.  This is the first time I’ve dealt with a physical isolation, but not the first time I’ve dealt with an emotional one. 

Pray For You

Prayer has always been a major part of my life. I remember kneeling next to my bed as a little girl to pray. I even loved when I was old enough to lead my family in our dinner prayers, which sometimes felt like a sermon, because I get lost on tangents and just love talking (even to God)!

Six Years

Six years ago, I arrived in the Philadelphia area and started unpacking all my belongs. The trip took way too long, I was exhausted, and had no idea what was in store for me.

To start, the very next day I started a new job and met some of the most absolutely wonderful people who I am lucky to call friends. That job was a great starting point, allowing me to learn so much about the city, meet so many people and grow into a stronger person. I left that job, but kept a lot of the people I met there.

Job change, and life changes came next. Divorce, loss of friends, and loss of a job.

I went into year five of being a “Philadelphian” not sure what life would look like. I wasn’t even sure if I was strong enough to make it through the year without tears and moving back across country. I felt lost, alone. I didn’t feel like I fit anywhere anymore.

But through friendships that are like family, I made it. I found a great place to work, a man who loves me (even my intense personality), and a home that I can afford.

I find it interesting that this time of the year always brings changes. Six years ago, I was looking for work clothes in my boxes that hadn’t been unpacked yet, so I could go to work in a big city and a beautiful synagogue. Tomorrow, I go to work to say goodbye to my coworkers. It’s sad because it’s a beautiful community of people I love, but it’s also good because I’m moving on to a full-time job with benefits.

Six years in. What do I think of Philadelphia? I think it’s a wonderful city full of excitement, amazing community and love. There really is a reason it’s call the city of brotherly love. As a transplant, I can tell you I feel the love so much more than I do the pissy drivers who honk at each other.

It really took this last year of hardship and pain, to accept that that’s just a part of life. It wasn’t until sometime this last year, realizing that the thought of moving “home” to Tennessee would mean losing my new home, that I started actually thinking of myself as a Philadelphian (however, I’ll also always be a Southern Belle).

Here’s to another six or more years in Philadelphia!