Welcome
Introducing Backwards and Forwards to you, my friends
A Newsletter from Rabbi Jonathan Miller
This is my first newsletter. It is really a blog, but the word blog sounds so much like an intestinal obstruction that I prefer the term “newsletter.” I will not be sharing any news that is worthy of the New York Times or Wall Street Journal. I am calling my newsletter Backwards and Forwards. Twice a month I will share with you some thoughts, travel journals, excerpts from past articles and sermons and reflections—mostly lighthearted—about the lives we are living.
And in the spirit of full disclosure, I have written a novel. If you enjoy Backwards and Forwards, I know that you will enjoy the novel when it finally comes to print.
You are receiving Backwards and Forwards because. plain and simple, I have you in my email contacts. I hope that you will enjoy these newsletters and forward them to your family and friends. And I hope that they will also subscribe by pushing the SUBSCRIBE button at the bottom this newsletter.
Some months ago, I called Jake Reiss, the proprietor of the Alabama Booksmith, to ask his advice about my novel. I love talking with Jake because at the start of every conversation he reminds me of the fact that he will not grace the sanctuary of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham unless accompanied by Federal marshals on his way to a witness protection program, or some similar sentiment. It is a blessing for rabbis to have friends in the congregation, and truth be told for another blog, it is even better to have friends outside of congregational life.
“Jake, I have this novel on Southern culture that I conjured up in my retirement. It is sitting on my computer hard drive. What the hell do I do with it? I want to get it published. Do you have any advice?”
“Rabbi, I will tell you what I tell all the authors who come to me toting their novels. Here is my advice: Burn your manuscript and eat the ashes. You will be much happier.”
With that encouragement, I called Judge Debra Goldstein, an accomplished mystery writer herself. “Debra, my book is done. COVID is fading. What do you suggest I do with it?”
She asked me, “First thing you have to figure out, Jonathan, is how much are you prepared to lose!”
And then she spent an hour telling me about the work involved in getting her early work published; the writing groups and conferences and book shows and empty conference rooms in far off places where you order from Denny’s across the street and eat warmed up French fries at ten o’clock at night sitting alone on a vinyl banquette staring at the ketchup bottle. (She actually didn’t say that about the Denny’s, but my mind went there anyway.)
“How much are you prepared to lose?”
Ah, the romantic life of a writer. We walk through life with a scarlet “L” on our foreheads. We are the losers who devote our years to producing works that few will buy and fewer will read. And so I began to take stock of the effort, time and financial resources I will have to devote to my career as a writer/loser and decided, well, I don’t want to lose too much. Like all of us, my resources are limited. I have money I need to live, not to fritter away. I have years ahead of me, but the hourglass is emptying as I watch the days and months slip by. “How much are you prepared to lose?” What a great question!
So I have set my sites low. Neither Simon nor Schuster will publish my work. I know that I will labor in obscurity behind my screen until my lights dim. My career as a writer will neither fill my bank account nor bring me accolades from the four corners of the world. At my stage of life, accolades don’t mean that much anyway. As much as I love my book and the characters I have created, I know that I have labored for the mere pleasure I take in writing and sharing. Also important for me, I will use portions of Backwards and Forwards to introduce you to some of the characters and themes of the novel without giving away too much of the story. I know that you will love these oddballs as much as I do.
In planning my next steps, I realized why I enjoy writing. I enjoy telling stories and sharing thoughts with people I like. I hope that the thoughts I will share will provoke smiles or tears, the good kind. Jewish tradition teaches that words that come from the heart enter the heart. I hope that you will find the words I will share with you enriching and be worth the time you will spend with me. The fact is that while I have enjoyed my years retired from the active pulpit, I have missed you. I hope that this newsletter and the novel that eventually finds its way from the dark and mysterious hard drive to the light of day will keep me connected to you. Really! I have missed you. And I miss you still. And I hope that Backwards and Forwards will keep us connected.
Without your encouragement, dear friends, I should take Jake’s advice and burn my manuscript and eat the ashes.
Please enjoy and stay tuned. Backwards and Forwards will appear, again, magically in your inbox in a few weeks. In the meantime, feel free to drop me a note at backwardsforwards.newletter@gmail.com. If you know people who might appreciate Backwards and Forwards, please forward this to them and tell them to hit the SUBSCRIBE button.
Whether we are going backwards or forwards, none of us is standing still. And successful people can move both forwards and backwards at the same time.
Until next time, shalom,
Jonathan