Life - Stranger Than Fiction! by Paula Rose Michelson


Today as I sat down to write I knew that I needed to do the one thing I had promised a stranger, that’s now an acquaintance that I would do first thing on Monday morning. Since many of you know me, I’m certain my sounding reticent seems slightly off kilter. And I must admit that this is exactly how I felt…Of Kilter! For you see, many Jews don’t believe that a person can be Jewish and believe in Messiah! And doing this one thing meant contacting Jews that might think me a renegade or worse! Yet I had pledged that I would so I did!!

I called the Jewish Community Center closest to me and spoke about my novel. The person I spoke with took my name and number. Feeling a lot better, and very aware that what I had written was a blessing for me and would be considered a blessing by them, I dialed the phone several more times! Instead of feeling trepidation, I felt elation! Then I received a call back from one of the locations. The lady had spoken with the rabbi who asked me to send him information. Gladness and trepidation mingled together as I wrote what I’ve posted below. Then I glanced at the title for today’s blog and knew that Gods timing was, as it always is, perfect. And so dear friends as you read this missive please pray that the path is cleared for me to bring this blessing to others who, like Naomi, fear that being who they are will cause others to reject them or worse.


The Letter

Dear Rabbi,

Thank you for taking the time to review what I’ve sent. I look forward to your response. 

As a Jew I have always been interested in learning more about our history and people. I wrote the historical fiction, Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing based upon my research of the Spanish and later the Mexican Inquisitions and its effect upon our people. During that time, I met some Jews that only later in life discovered or realized that they were Jewish. You will find their interviews as well as a brief history of the Spanish Inquisition at the beginning of the novel.

I have posted the link to Amazon (below) so you can read a bit of the text. Should you decided to do that, I hope you enjoy your journey into the heart of a teenager who leaves home without a why or goodbye, and companions a blind old women to gain entry into America to search for an uncle she has never met. She finds her plans thwarted when she is handed over immigration. However, she is rescued and taken to Spanish Harlem, where she sees a large Catholic church and believes that though she is in America she has never really left Spain. 

Here is the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Casa-Naomi-House-Blessing-Blessings/dp/1613461380/ref=lp_B007ECYI32_1_1_title_0_main?ie=UTF8&qid=1334800009&sr=1-


Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing

Fifteen-year-old Naomi wants to practice her faith in public, find her uncle, and help him raise enough money to bring their family to America. To accomplish this she agrees to companion a blind, old woman whose family plans to tour Europe and settle in the United States. Her plans are thwarted when the woman passes away aboard ship, and Naomi is handed over to immigration. While she awaits her interview, an old Tía comes to Naomi’s rescue and offers to take her in. With nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Naomi agrees and unwittingly enters the country illegally.

This is Naomi’s journey from adolescence to womanhood, from frightened isolation and captivity to the noble status of heiress with a mission and responsibility many would shirk placed upon her shoulders. Along the way, she contends with piercing memories, hurtful loss, jealous opponents, a devious lawyer, and a curious priest. Through each step of this journey, she guards two secrets she dare not share with anyone, not even Chaz, the man she has married. Will she keep his love when he discovers who she really is? Find out in the first book of Paula Rose Michelson’s saga, The House of Blessing.

Paula Rose Michelson is the founder of LAMB Ministries, which helps women recover from trauma and abuse through the effective use of scripture, and prayer. She leads a monthly writers group at Congregation Ben David in Orange, California, and serves with her husband, Ron, with Chosen People Ministries. The mother of two married daughters, and grandmother of seven, when not writing, speaking, or teaching the effective use of scripture, you will find Paula researching her next book or meeting with friends.

Though this novel was written about a Sephardic girl and how she matures while hiding who she is, her struggles, though more poignant than most, are the same ones each person faces. Her grief of not knowing the fullness of all her faith is stands as a reminder to those of us that do for we need to cherish what we have been given.

Yours in Messiah,
Paula Rose Michelson – Author – The Casa Saga
Casa de Naomi: The House of Blessing _ Book One
God said, “…all people on earth will be blessed through you.”

Visit Paula at http://www.PaulaWordsmith.com
E-mail her at CasadeNaomi@PaulaWordsmith.com
Join her Casa Reflections Blog at http://CasadeNaomi.Blogspot.com
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