North Star Conversations Transcript: Staying and Holding—Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein
Drawing from The Hard Work of Healing, Dr. Brandon Gimbel and Rabbi Steven Lowenstein talk about constancy—the privilege of walking alongside people through life’s milestones and endings.
Brandon Gimbel (00:00)
In our book, the book we both contributed to, my chapter was about staying and holding, that's part of what I imagine you do a great deal of the time. You are present, you are consistent, you are a constant in your congregants' lives and the community's lives. And so when you don't know who to refer to and don't know how to direct someone, you are still always there.
Rabbi Steven Stark Lowenstein (00:22)
People just want to know that we're in their corner and we're always going to be there for them. That's what's so wonderful about my job. I've been doing it for 30 years and I'm now doing bar mitzvahs of kids who 25 years ago were 13. These kids now have 10 year old kids and their kids are now getting ready for their own bnai mitzvah and what a rich experience it is for me to be able to be involved with people at those moments in their lives.
Brandon Gimbel (00:48)
I'll have a similar experience— a different role— but similar experience. When someone parts ways from me, when they no longer need psychotherapy or psychiatry, or they move, but they leave, I reflect on how I've been given this privilege to witness, to stand alongside them or to stand from a distance and watch their lives unfold. It's really neat.