I began this blog 364 days ago.  Here’s what I wrote on June 27, 2010:

Where to begin? I think the trip to the library is perhaps best.

Here’s what happened. My daughter Ellie and I went to the library to find some summer reading, but the self-checkout machine wouldn’t let us take our books. An error message popped up on the screen: “There are unresolved issues with your card. Please see the librarian at the help desk.”

Unresolved issues?!?  Turns out our cards had expired and we had to renew them before we could abscond with our books.

It’s haunted and amused me all day. Unresolved issues? Damn right I have unresolved issues. Not least of which is deciding what I want to do when I grow up. I’d better hurry and make a decision, because I turn 53 this week and time’s awasting.

Do I maintain status quo and fundraise during the day and moonlight on the weekends as a quasi-rabbi? (sounds a little like Superman — mild-mannered Clark Kent during the day, caped crusader at night.) Or do I take the plunge and go to rabbinical school?

A year later, I’ve answered the question.  I leave tonight to begin studying in the Jewish Renewal movement’s Aleph rabbinic training program.  (If you want to know more about Jewish renewal, visit their website: www.aleph.org).

It’s the beginning of a years-long process towards becoming a rabbi.  As you saw above, I’m not exactly young… but a few years ago when I protested to a friend that I’d be nearly 60 when I graduated, she pointed out that I’d be 60 anyway, so why not be 60 and a rabbi too?  Point taken.

Much of the work will be on-line, but I’ve already proved that I can handle that — I earned an MA from the Jewish Theological Seminary on-line, and let me tell you, it was no easy task.

I’m still straddling the line and working full-time as a fundraiser, as well part-time as a spiritual leader at Congregation Kol HaNeshama (no more referring to myself as a “quasi-rabbi”!).  This will be on top of all that.  But hey, what’s another major time commitment among friends?

I’m banking on having more time now that I’ll be an empty-nester (Ellie begins her freshman year at USF on Aug 17th and Sarah Jane leaves soon after to be a junior at Ithaca College).

It’s a little daunting, a lot exciting, and hugely satisfying.  I’ll keep blogging.  I hope you’ll keep reading.

P.S.  Not unexpectedly, the Pollyanna thing lasted less than 24 hours.  I’m simply not cut out for being sweet all the time — just too snarky sometimes.