Bar Mitzvah | Peaches Prattlings

{April 21, 2024} It’s Sunday…let’s go!

Yesterday, after the Biker and Bike Blessing, I loaded up the convertible, kissed PSM and the dogs buh bye, jumped into said convertible, dropped the top and away we went! We being me and the cah! [I said cah because I was heading to Bahston!]

PSM gave me a way to avoid the traffic in Connecticut, that Connecticut is so famous for and makes people not want to go or drive through Connecticut. Ok, so maybe people want to go, I spent a great weekend there with CWB two years ago, but driving through it to get to Boston, not my favorite, or my husband, or my dad, or anyone else who has to do it. That being said, PSM gave me a route that would add about 100 miles to my trip, which meant about an extra hour, but I would avoid Connecticut, and it worked!

I arrived at my sister’s about 830p, eyes were slits, but I made it! After visiting for a bit, I was done! Down to the sofa in the basement, set up the blankets, jammies on, and I started talking to you and couldn’t sleep, really?!

I did not set an alarm for this morning, but lucky me…I woke up about 530a, fun! I lay there not thinking or doing anything, I just snuggled deeper into the covers, it was cold in the basement, but I was toasty under a few layers, works for me! Eventually I got up and wandered upstairs and my sister was in the kitchen with EJS, she was heading off with ACS, to do a father-daughter college tour and soccer ID clinic. Can you believe it…college tours! O M G!

MGS came down eventually, she had a soccer game in the afternoon, she was going to chill until then. GES and I started to cook some of the dishes we would need for the Passover seder tomorrow and Tuesday. She hosts first and second night. I’m always at first night and when I started dating PSM, we go to second night with his family. Their first night seder is usually held in a hall with a lot, when I say, a lot, I mean a lot of people! They’ve had up to 100 in the past! That would be something to see!

We have to strategize what we’re going to cook because there’s only so many good size burners and only so much oven space! We started with a matzoh brittle, y u m! This is one cup of brown sugar, one cup of butter, melted, then you put it on a tray of matzoh, which goes into the oven for 5 minutes at 350. When it’s cooled, you break it into pieces. Some people make it with chocolate chips and nuts, I’m a purist. You’re welcome, you’ll thank me later!

I started on the veggie matzoh ball soup, y u m! Then we made I lost count of how many hard boiled eggs, then the potatoes, we had gefilte fish to make too. This is where the musical burners comes in because there are only two large ones and we use large stock pots for everything!

We had thumbprint cookies to make, coconut macaroons, matzoh apple and peach apple kugel, charoset for just the two of us, since we can’t eat apples. I think that’s everything. You know…I really need to give you our recipes for these dishes, they are sooo good! Other people would be bringing items tomorrow, so we don’t have to cook everything like we used to when we were kids.

About 1030am, we went over to a friend’s house to help them with the crafts for her son’s bar mitzvah, it’s a baseball theme and she needed a little extra zhuzhing it up [you just have to say the word out loud]. That was a lot of fun, there were glue guns, batteries, lights, baseballs, the whole nine yards! And she had a Cricut, so I had someone to chat Cricut, you know I was in heaven!

After the craft party, we headed back home to cook some more. When we got there, dad had arrived! The family is together! We chatted and caught up while we made a few kugels, then everyone left for the soccer field, I stayed behind a few minutes to get the kugels out of the oven, the off to the game I went.

Great to see MGS on the field, it was a lot of fun, she’s really getting so much better! This was her first game with this team, definitely a new experience! I’m so very proud of her! I hope she knows that!

Let’s just say, I had my top down on the way to Boston, today…I couldn’t warm up fast enough when I was back in the car after the game. I could not feel my feet or fingers, thank goodness it all came back to me! Back at the house, a little more cooking and then it was time for dinner. They brought in pizza and salads, I had a nice big salad, I had to go to the grocery store earlier and got some of my favorite vegan cheese, Chao Cheese, the brand is Field Roast, I actually never noticed the brand name before! I was always focused on the flavor. It is a full, rich, cheese, and melts nicely!

Dinner is always fun at my sister’s house, lot’s of chatter, banter, silliness, and laughter, what more could you want?! After dinner we did the last of the cooking we needed to, cleaned up the kitchen, everyone else went up to bed and GES and I sat on the sofa and relaxed! What a day?!

I know I nodded off a few times while we were sitting there scrolling through our phones and watching something on tv, I know this because I kept waking myself up! ha ha. After a bit, I went downstairs and here I am telling you about my day.

I’m going to say Bonne nuit (bon nwee), that’s french for good night.

{February 29, 2024} Was it really four years ago today?

Four years ago today, February 29, 2020, was such a special day for our family. EJS became a bat mitzvah, wow and mazel tov!

What an amazing accomplishment! When a young woman becomes a bat mitzvah, or a daughter of the commandments, it means that she is a woman under Jewish law. And it’s a bar mitzvah for the boys. I know EJS is a young woman, but it’s still hard to say without waxing nostalgic. I’m actually tearing up a little talking about it.

It’s tradition for girls and boys to become bat or bar mitzvah at 12 or 13, I was 13 when I became a bat mitzvah, November 4, 1984, I know, can you believe it, that’s a date that I never will forget. My sister, GES, was 13, her husband, ACS, was 13, PSM was 13, apparently it’s a club! And MGS, she became a bat mitzvah last year.

There are some people who choose to do it later in life, CWB decided a few years ago, this was not an opportunity she wanted to miss and had her adult bat mitzvah, she studied just as hard and it was such a mitzvah for me to be there to watch her on this journey.

Oh, what a site to see, my niece on the bema, or bimah, that’s the podium on the pulpit that one would stand at to lead a prayer service, or read from the torah, the holy scriptures. To become a bat or bar mitzvah is not an easy feat, it involves years of study, study of hebrew, mostly prayers, some conversation, for me, it was hebrew school class every Wednesday from the time I was 10 until at least my bat mitzvah.

Then there is Sunday school, religious studies, going to Friday night and sometimes Saturday morning services, to study the word of g-d, and some wonderful prayers, I still know them to this day and enjoy reciting them when I’m in shul or synagogue. Some of them are uplifting, some can be scary, but all make you think.

Then, as you get closer to the big day, you work one-on-one with the rabbi, who guides you on your jewish studies, and preps you for your bat or bar mitzvah. They work with you on your torah portion, what passage[s] you are going to read from the torah, it tells one story of the history of the Jewish people. If you are chanting the prayers, you my work one-on-one with the cantor, who will guide you on the proper way to chant the prayers and your torah reading.

Then…you have to write a speech! Oh my yes! Some people pick a topic from current events, some people base their speech on whatever their torah portion is. Sometimes this can be more nerve wracking than the entire ceremony!

What a wonderful time to be together, to watch our loved ones blossom into adults before our eyes, we are still sitting there, looking at them wondering where did the time go? I was just holding her in my arms, meeting her for the first time, and looking at that tiny little person and thinking, “oh wow, I’m your auntie and I am gonna love you so much!” and here she is, standing up there, leading us in prayer, reading from the torah, giving her speech, and being an all around bad ar… I shouldn’t say that here! But she was!

And when all is said and done, it’s time to celebrate, and we should celebrate, look what you just did! You impressed us all with your bravery and knowledge, your strength, and fortitude, and skills, now let’s celebrate you!

Like her mother and I, EJS had the celebration right after the service at the synagogue and the place was decked out to the hilt! Their event planner, RachelG, was amazing, everything EJS asked for and a little bit more! There was games for the kids, the dj was great, the mc was great, got everyone involved and on their feet, the food was amazing, the decor, and it all contributed to everyone feeling amazing and there was love, and wonder, and pride, and just good feelings all around. And she deserved it.

It is now four years later, and in a few weeks, EJS is going to be…o m g…seventeen! What?! I still cannot believe it! Yet, I do! That little tiny creature, who grabbed my finger and my heart, who, when she could walk would run so fast to jump into my arms for a hug, then the time when she was about 9, she and her sister put my bras on their heads, yup, they did that, when she would come into my room, crawl in bed, and want to cuddle, when she would ask for me to sit with her while she fell asleep. Yup, that girl, she’s about to be 17, wow, what an amazing human being she is!

Yea, four years ago today, we got to watch something amazing and kvell, it means to be super proud, and we did. Mazel tov EJS, you were amazing that day and it hasn’t stopped, I cannot wait to see what’s next for you!

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