“My Son’s Opioid Addiction Made Me Feel Like A Failure On Yom Kippur,” Forward
On the morning of Yom Kippur our rabbi says a prayer for children. He asks parents to stand with their sons and daughters, regardless of age. Parents place their hands on their child and repeat the threefold ancient blessing.
May God bless and protect you;
May God cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you;
May God lift His face to you and grant you peace.
So we stood, seven years ago, my husband and I, with our 21-year-old son, Jacob, between us. Eyes closed, praying for him, we must have looked like any of the other 100-plus families. Except we weren’t.