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 United States
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
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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