Dear Graduating Class of 2018, I honor you. This milestone is remarkable for any teen. It is even more remarkable for you. You have had your community, our community to hold you. As you graduate and move on, there will not be the shoulder of a friend in the hallway, the knowing when someone looks…
Read More“Can I be a dog?”
Posted by Elise Gold on June 15, 2018I recently reached out to Valerie Hughes, one of the organizers of “Rise Up & Write.” This summer program is offered through the Hudson Valley Writing Project. Students will be encouraged to research issues of social justice that touch them and write about them. I am moved to know that this workshop is taking place…
Read MoreGraduation
Posted by Elise Gold on June 7, 2018I remember when I began to come up for air after Maya took her life. I began to think about all of the landmarks that I would miss. Learning to drive and getting a license, graduating from high school, doing work in Nepal, college, exploring career opportunities, relationships, perhaps marriage, a family. I also remember…
Read More“This is where your love is going”
Posted by Elise Gold on March 18, 2018Yes! That’s it! My friend understood me, and she got it! Let me wind the tape back for a minute to put it in context. Mathew and I have been devoting much time to The Maya Gold Foundation. This has not been the work of Mathew and me alone; that’s for sure! It is really quite remarkable to witness all that…
Read MoreYour hand on my cheek
Posted by Elise Gold on January 27, 2018January 25, 2006 Dear Maya, So much is going on in your sweet little life. I think you’re experiencing a bit of stress these days. Just as I was putting you to bed, you talked of things at school that have been difficult. You were going to play a new math game with S. You…
Read MoreAnother sort of gift
Posted by Elise Gold on November 30, 2017When I started writing, I chose to call this blog, “Maya’s Gifts.” Here is a little excerpt from the “About” page: Maya’s life was a gift. I believe the saying that there is no loss greater than that of a child. I am living with this loss, deeply. It is one that I never wish…
Read MoreSweet memories from our tutor, Bonnie
Posted by Elise Gold on November 21, 2017Bonnie Meadow, our beloved tutor, shared these words with me as a comment from my previous post. My thought is that her reflection warrants a post of its own. Thank you, Bonnie. Toldot will always be connected to Maya for me, as Beshalach will be connected to you, Elise. What a profound privilege it was…
Read MoreMaya’s D’Var or Words
Posted by Elise Gold on November 19, 2017Each week, a different passage of the Torah is chanted. At age 14, when Maya became a Bat Mitzvah on November 10, 2014, her passage (parsha) was Toldot. As part of the ceremony, one becoming a b’nai mitvah is to share their reflections. It is called the “D’Var Torah”, or “Words from the Torah”. This…
Read MoreObservation and glitter
Posted by Elise Gold on October 19, 2017October 6, 2005 Maya, Driving you home from school last week, we were talking about your friends. I moved the conversation to me, and here is how it went: E: Do you know that I have friends too? M: Yes. E: Can you tell me who my friends are? M: Cindy. E: Yes! She is…
Read MoreHeard, held and loved
Posted by Elise Gold on October 2, 2017I remember the first week. It was the end of Shiva. Rabbi Aura expressed how “we did not imagine that we would make it another day, not to mention an entire week.” This was so very true. Yet there we were. Today marks two years. How can this be? And here we are. For those…
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