Growing up as a Jew in Germany under the Nazis, I knew fear, hatred and intolerance firsthand. When I arrived in this country I had experienced so much anguish and misery that I became an atheist. Having no faith in an afterlife, my despair grew until I actually considered suicide. It was only then that I discovered, through friends, the Catholic Church with its teachings of hope and love.
My vocation to Dominican Contemplative life was born about the same time as my discovery of the faith. I was baptized at the Dominican Church in Berkeley, and after work daily attended Compline (Night Prayer) with the Dominican Friars in Oakland. I had at first wanted to actively minister to God's people but I sensed that as a contemplative, He could better use me in a hidden life of prayer.
The Dominican motto, "Contemplate and give to others the fruit of your contemplation" is for me a most highly valued aspect of this life. This giving to others can be done in many ways: through conversation in the parlor, through letters, through writing and translating, through artistic creations, to name just a few. God can use all of our talents for the benefit of others, but we must first contemplate Him in solitude and silence to be filled with Him and used as a channel that He may flow into others.