cousin's bar mitzvah
So last weekend was my cousin's bar mitzvah.
This is a cousin on my father's side of the family. My father's niece Myrna has four grandchildren, her daughter Devora has girl and a boy, and her daughter Buffy has a boy and a girl. Three years ago we went to Devora's daughter's bat mitzvah. Then it was Buffy's son's bar mitzvah (this was the kid whose bris was held the day David Wells pitched a perfect game at Yankee Stadium). Last weekend was Devora's son's bar mitzvah, and Buffy's daughter's bat mitzvah will be in March 2013.
All those Hebrew school dollars paid off when Becca gave me a critque of the service and voiced her opinion of the Rabbi. ;-)
I had an OMG moment when I heard that Devora sits on the board of her synagogue. As you know, I'm on the board of my synagogue. I hadn't thought of this before, but my grandfather -- her great grandfather -- was president of his congregation in Brooklyn and was a founding member of his synagogue on Long Island. He died before I was born, but I have heard the stories. I'd also forgotten that my father was very briefly involved in the board of our synagogue when I was a child. It never occurred to me that I was participating in a family tradition until that moment.
Another OMG moment was when my cousin Marcia told me her daughter Elyse, the special ed teacher, couldn't come to the bar mitzvah because she was choreographing her cheerleading team's competition routine. Elyse and Jen seem to have a lot in common.
My daughters were gorgeous, of course. Becca wore a yellow gold dress that made her feel like Belle in "Beauty and the Beast". Jen wore a short, dark dress and purple shoes with 4-inch stilletto heels. She looked so grown up! You should have seen her doing the Wobble on the dance floor. Becca thought the Wobble was "stupid", by the way.
The most bittersweet moment....my parents skipped the service and came to the party late, after cocktail hour was over. Anything else would have overtaxed my father's strength, I think. He walked into the room using his rollator walker. This is the man who used to be the life of the party, on the dance floor the whole evening! He did manage to dance a slow dance with my mother.
Now for the "meow" moment. My sisters F and A dressed like teenagers. I mean, really, they chose dresses that were "younger" than what my own daughters wore. And the behavior! My sisters have always been vivacious at parties, dancing, enjoying themselves, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But last weekend ... It seems that Jen and Becca were flirting with the guy who ran the photo favor booth, and the guy who was airbrushing t-shirts for the 13 year old crowd. Both of these guys were in their 20's. So my daughters flirting with the uys was cute. My sisters, on the other hand...it was sad, really. Because it wasn't two 45 year old women flirting with younger men, it was two 45 year old women thinking they were 25 years old flirting with two men "their own age".
So anyhow, it was fun seeing the wedding, bar mitzvah and funeral crowd again. And I hope to see them all in March!
This is a cousin on my father's side of the family. My father's niece Myrna has four grandchildren, her daughter Devora has girl and a boy, and her daughter Buffy has a boy and a girl. Three years ago we went to Devora's daughter's bat mitzvah. Then it was Buffy's son's bar mitzvah (this was the kid whose bris was held the day David Wells pitched a perfect game at Yankee Stadium). Last weekend was Devora's son's bar mitzvah, and Buffy's daughter's bat mitzvah will be in March 2013.
All those Hebrew school dollars paid off when Becca gave me a critque of the service and voiced her opinion of the Rabbi. ;-)
I had an OMG moment when I heard that Devora sits on the board of her synagogue. As you know, I'm on the board of my synagogue. I hadn't thought of this before, but my grandfather -- her great grandfather -- was president of his congregation in Brooklyn and was a founding member of his synagogue on Long Island. He died before I was born, but I have heard the stories. I'd also forgotten that my father was very briefly involved in the board of our synagogue when I was a child. It never occurred to me that I was participating in a family tradition until that moment.
Another OMG moment was when my cousin Marcia told me her daughter Elyse, the special ed teacher, couldn't come to the bar mitzvah because she was choreographing her cheerleading team's competition routine. Elyse and Jen seem to have a lot in common.
My daughters were gorgeous, of course. Becca wore a yellow gold dress that made her feel like Belle in "Beauty and the Beast". Jen wore a short, dark dress and purple shoes with 4-inch stilletto heels. She looked so grown up! You should have seen her doing the Wobble on the dance floor. Becca thought the Wobble was "stupid", by the way.
The most bittersweet moment....my parents skipped the service and came to the party late, after cocktail hour was over. Anything else would have overtaxed my father's strength, I think. He walked into the room using his rollator walker. This is the man who used to be the life of the party, on the dance floor the whole evening! He did manage to dance a slow dance with my mother.
Now for the "meow" moment. My sisters F and A dressed like teenagers. I mean, really, they chose dresses that were "younger" than what my own daughters wore. And the behavior! My sisters have always been vivacious at parties, dancing, enjoying themselves, etc. Nothing wrong with that. But last weekend ... It seems that Jen and Becca were flirting with the guy who ran the photo favor booth, and the guy who was airbrushing t-shirts for the 13 year old crowd. Both of these guys were in their 20's. So my daughters flirting with the uys was cute. My sisters, on the other hand...it was sad, really. Because it wasn't two 45 year old women flirting with younger men, it was two 45 year old women thinking they were 25 years old flirting with two men "their own age".
So anyhow, it was fun seeing the wedding, bar mitzvah and funeral crowd again. And I hope to see them all in March!
I hear Tevye singing 'Tradition!' Mazel Tov on another Bar Mitzvah!
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