songbird's crazy world

Once again I am called upon today to represent the Board of Trustees at my synagogue, to make the presentation to a young man on the occasion of his bar mitzvah. After the first time -- in which I was so unbelievably nervous -- I'm actually very comfortable standing in front of the congregation.  After the political upheaval we went through last year and the abuse the board members experienced when they spoke at meetings with the congregation, telling a young man he's wonderful and that his parents should be proud of him is a piece of cake.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I am a member of the Board of Trustees of my synagogue. We're the governing body of the synagogue. At our synagogue, when a child celebrates his/her bar/bat mitzvah, a member of the board of Trustees will present that child with a gift from the Board. The designated trustee makes a short speech about the chuld (based on information supplied by the parents). I've only been on the board since March, I've never done a bar/bat mitzvah presentaiton. There are two boys celebrating their b'nai mitzvah on Saturday, and I am the trustee who will make the presentation. I am soooo nervous. I'm an attorney, I've had courtroom experience, I've addressed judges and adversaries in front of a room full of poeple. but this is different. these aren't total strangers I'll be talking to, it's members of the congregation. and the funny thing is, I"m not obsessing over what to say. I wrote out a little speech ...