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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