My husband, my mom and I were fortunate enough to watch a production of Fiddler on the Roof last week. I was surprised by my emotional reaction to the play.

One of the things I thought about afterwards was what a gift it is to have a strong sense of identity.  In the play, the characters’ identities were firmly rooted in family, community, tradition and faith.

I thought about how far we have strayed from that model. I considered my own sense of identity and was reminded that I did have one as a kid growing up in Europe; I was an American.

I was part of a small, but highly recognizable, group and there was an automatic sense of belonging and of kinship- even with people you didn’t know but just happened to see, or hear, in a restaurant or on the train.

I still can tap into that bond today, even though I live in the United States.

A sense of identity and belonging is profoundly important, and it is never too late to establish.

Where is your identity rooted?