I'm closing out my 2010 with an essay in Zeek on parenthood and prayer (written before my VR post Prayer life changes -- I think the two essays work well together to address different facets of parenthood and spiritual life.)

I interviewed my friend Yafa Chase for this essay, too. She'll be ordained a rabbi alongside me next Sunday, and her daughter is six, so between us we have a variety of experiences of mama spiritual life! Here's a taste of the essay:

For a while, I could only daven b’tzibbur (in community) if I wore Drew on my chest in a sling or if I were willing to leave the sanctuary to nurse, listening to the singing from the next room. And davening alone at home seemed implausible: the morning routine of waking, nursing the baby, changing the baby, pumping milk to keep my supply up, nursing the baby, sitting still while the baby napped on me, somehow finding a way to eat breakfast and to shower—it was all too overwhelming. I didn’t daven alone until Drew started daycare at six months.

The first time I donned tefillin again was when Drew was six months old...

Read the whole thing: Parenthood and prayer. Enjoy -- and a happy (secular) new year to all!