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High Holidays 2013: May We Welcome More Open and Honest Dialogue

[additional-authors]
August 21, 2013

Just a few days ago, I found out that a very brilliant and genuine friend of mine took her life.  Like a lot of incredibly creative people, she suffered from depression and felt that she could no longer trudge through her darkness.  Her death impacts me greatly, especially since I have also gone to dark places and can understand where she is coming from.  

My parents spent many painful years feeling powerless and alone over my situation, and kept a lot of their struggles with me to themselves, largely out the fear of being judged and misunderstood.   I am incredibly blessed today with a life filled with passion and purpose.  Like all human beings, I still have my struggles from time to time, but I am incredibly strong today and with a solid support system and foundation.  Although I am stronger, I have come to find myself feeling very raw at times.  I spend a lot time feeling vulnerable, and walking through those fears and finding transendence.  I truly believe that I will never go anywhere close to that level of darkness again.  

My life took a complete turn in 2007, when I moved out to Los Angeles to live at “>Beit T’Shuvah, which means House of Return, is a very special non-profit that uses Judaism, psychotherapy and the 12-step program as a means to finding healing.  One of their programs is their Recovery in Music program, and through it was the creation of the musical “>{HERE}.

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