My brother Gerry and I grew up with the blessings of a warm and loving family.

Mother and Dad were actively involved in both the Jewish and secular communities, and they modeled generosity and kindness. When we were kids, our friends loved to hang out at our house, where there was always a sympathetic ear and a full refrigerator.

A profound experience at the age of eighteen prompted me to explore various realms of spirituality, and eventually to arrive at the practice of meditation. I began to keep the journal which has contributed powerfully to my spiritual practice and development.

After a divorce in my early thirties, I realized that I had much to learn about myself, and about my inner world. I lived and studied in Mexico for several months, and returned more open to new things. Soon after, I encountered my first mentor, with whom I studied for the next eighteen years, and with whose guidance I developed the meditation and mindfulness practices that sustain me still. Since then I have studied, both in America and abroad, with other masterful teachers who have had a transformative effect upon my life.

I have long valued the power of artistic expression as a way of deepening my relationship to vast consciousness and to the Mystery. I lived in Israel for several years, where, in addition to studying both Judaism and Taoism, I created contemporary tapestries that were featured in a single-artist exhibition in Jerusalem.

In addition to writing and tapestry weaving as modes of spiritual exploration, I celebrate creativity through dance. I have danced in a variety of forms since the age of five, and I still use dance as a form of meditation and to express my inner being in the external world.

I have taught seminars in practical spirituality through Southern Oregon University and privately, and have applied the principles in private spiritual counseling. I have used them in my work as former executive director of a community dispute resolution center, and in every other aspect of my life. I currently work as Assistant to the Rabbi in my synagogue community.

For many years I have been drawn to deepen my understanding of what people experience as the end of life approaches. After my mother’s death, I also became interested in how we grieve our loved ones. I came to realize that I could convert the material in my journals to a form that could serve others. The result of this work is the book, Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers. This memoir intimately reflects the conscious process of grief and healing which grew from my own spiritual practice.

My conscious inclusion of death in my daily mindfulness practice helps me to feel exquisitely alive. I hope that, as people read Slippers, they will be reminded of the sweetness, humor, courage and inspiration that often accompany sorrow in times of loss, and that can be found, as well, in our everyday experiences.

Fayegail Mandell Bisaccia, author of Dancing in My Mother’s Slippers: A Journey of Grief and Healing, also writes stories and essays. Her story, “The Anniversary,” appears in the anthology, More Kisses.  Fayegail’s stories about death and dying, grief and healing are uplifting, moving, insightful, and sometimes humorous. Her work is infused with her deeply held values of mindfulness and community. 

Fayegail received her undergraduate education at the University of California, Berkeley, her teaching preparation at California Lutheran College, and her Masters in Special Education from Antioch College. She currently lives in Ashland, Oregon, with her husband, Lance, and their cat, Maya, both of whom appear prominently in Slippers.