Go Boldly

I met my friend Ahna, during my year teaching English in Japan. We were introduced via email by a mutual acquaintance and serendiptiously met in person - despite the crowd of thousands - at a welcome reception in Tokyo. Quests to find Mr. Donuts and floating nuns, a decent beet salad or book in English were just a few of the adventures we shared. Since then we’ve managed to stay in touch through old-fashioned letters and have exchanged recommendations for good music, movies, and books. And this is how I came to be introduced to Lauren Winner.

Even though I’ve only met her through her writing, Winner is, like Ahna, one of those people with the talent of making instant friends. By the time you’ve finished Girl Meets God, a memoir of Winner’s conversions to Orthodox Judaism and evangelical Christianity, you may well feel you’ve made a new friend - one who is intelligent, witty, and admittedly imperfect.

In honor of today’s being Ash Wednesday, I would like to share with you Winner’s reflections on the “boldness” of the day. This commentary is adapted from Girl Meets God.