By Samantha Stevens

This past April, I made the remarkable transition into motherhood when I welcomed my daughter, Evelyn Joy, into the world. When I reflect upon the lessons learned, one thing has become perfectly clear – parenthood is a profound act of surrender. In many ways, this is what grounds me, because it is the constant that lies beneath a whirlwind of change.

In Judaism, the nature of our relationship with God is often referred to as a partnership. In this partnership lies a deep trust in life’s unpredictable nature – many of its challenges giving us opportunities to become stronger, smarter, wiser and heartier. It is not the surrender to this that makes hardship disappear, but it can be the catalyst that turns endings into beginnings, discomfort into knowledge, fear into courage. In this, we maintain our agency.

This visceral sense of trust is the language I use as I learn my daughter, and as I do, I follow her lead. Judaism teaches that each person is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, carrying within them a unique spark and sense of self. She knows herself, and my job is to nurture, guide her, and help keep her safe. She already carries within her a distinctive personality, likes and dislikes, and a destiny she’ll write herself.

Samantha Sugarman Stevens is the Director of Jewish Experience at the Buffalo Jewish Federation focusing on PJ Library and NEXTGen Jewish Buffalo. She considers herself a Jewish professional by day, singer-songwriter by night and new mom any and all hours. Sam and her husband live in Buffalo with their four-month-old daughter and their cat, Lou.