Gemotions

The air in the synagogue was thick with unfamiliar words and melodies. Her daughter, Jessica, stood beside her, her face glowing with a peace she had never shown before. She had just finished her conversion to Judaism. Her mother felt like an outsider in her own family.

She stood rigidly, hands clasped, listening to the rabbi. The ancient language, the customs, all seemed so foreign and yet so important to Jessica. She watched, a wave of feeling washing over her.

She found herself staring at the stained-glass windows, the colors blurring through unshed tears. The beauty and joy in the sanctuary felt like a painful reminder of her own distance.