to<\/strong><\/em> the music. With the tenacity of a true veteran, she has gone through auditions for shows and when she hasn’t gotten chosen for a particular role, she has smiled and shrugged and moved on with an attitude of\u00a0 ‘there’s always the next time.’\u00a0 During the service, Rabbi Schein offered commentary on Cady’s sparkling personality; laughing as she described that during her first lesson, Cady came in wearing a sequined beret.\u00a0 Rabbi Cove spoke of the importance of Tikkun Olam (the repair of the world) and Tzedakah (giving\u00a0 -from- the -heart charity). Cady’s Bat Mitzvah project was raising donations for the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, since her dance teacher’s mother who she described as a surrograte grandmother, had died of the disease.<\/div>\n <\/p>\n
What made this event so poignant, was the memory of a particularly dark day in 1998. I had answered the pay phone in the waiting room at Thomas Jefferson University\u00a0Hospital in Philadelphia where I had spent several weeks\u00a0 by that point, holding vigil while awaiting a liver transplant for my husband that never came to be. The voice on the other end was that of my friend Barbara Cohen who has been in my life since we were 14 year old competitive swimmers who met on the bench prior to our event.\u00a0 She offered an honor to me. “Glenn and I decided to name you Cady’s God-mother, so you will have\u00a0a little girl to spoil.” Grateful tears fell as I welcomed this gift and a distraction from my pain.<\/p>\n
One of my favorite Cady memories was when she was around 6 months old. One of my hats is that of a clown who loves to teach people that humor is healing. I was prepping for teaching a workshop and wanted an example of the perfect laugh. What could be better than a child’s giggle?\u00a0 Cady was lying on a blanket, feet kicking in the air and\u00a0we played the universally fun game of peek-a-boo. With a tape player nearby, each silvery\u00a0twinkle was recorded.\u00a0 The members of the class loved it. Wish I still had the tape and wonder if Cady is still open to playing peek-a-boo. (:<\/p>\n
On the bimah (platform\/podium in front of the synagogue), Cady was enwrapped in a floral tallis (prayer shawl) lovingly created by her paternal\u00a0 Bubbe, which is Yiddish for grandmother,\u00a0 whose name is Corrine a.k.a ‘Cookie’.\u00a0 Cady’s older brother Alex and older sister Blake were similarly gifted by Cookie’s talents and in 7 years, their little sister Darah will be making her choice of fabric for her own tallis. I was honored to stand by Cady’s side and read a poem called A Rainbow of Friends and during the reception afterward was called to light a candle\u00a0on the decadently decorated cupcake cake. Those were not the only tearful moments, but stood out among them.<\/p>\n
I marveled at the passage of time as I took note of the friends of Barb and Glenn who shared in the joyous occasion as well. Jimmy, who was Glenn’s Best Man at their wedding\u00a0 (\u00a0I was the Matron of Honor), and was also my counterpart as Cady’s Godfather, had come up from Virginia with his wife Bernadette (lovingly referred to as ‘Bernie’). Caught up on the lives of Chuck and another Edie; creative types…Chuck works for an ad agency and Edie is a jewelry designer. A poignant moment came when Ralph, Barb’s formerly vigorous, tall father was brought in by wheelchair, pushed by her brother Tony. Widowed a few years ago, when Barb’s mom died as a result of a stroke, he maintains an active social life, playing cards with friends and spending time with family.<\/p>\n
At the reception, while Cady’s friends where indulging their appetites at the buffet, the D.J. encouraged the ‘big kids’ to come out on the dance floor for what he referred to as ‘adult swim’.\u00a0 Motown tunes blasted out of the speakers as we had a blast, ‘sweatin’ to \u00a0the oldies’. I do have to say brazenly and without modesty….we still got some moves(:<\/p>\n
I offer you the song that was played when I was called up to\u00a0 light the candle.\u00a0 That’s What Friends Are For<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nhttp:\/\/youtu.be\/EtGF2m102Wg<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A pivotal slice of life moment on Saturday morning, as I sat in the sanctuary of Kol Emet; a Reconstructionist synagogue in Yardley, PA, surrounded by the family and friends of a magical faerie child turning 13 year old extraordinary young woman. Garbed in cotton candy pink ballerina dress,the\u00a0\u00a0ideal costume for the dancer that she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":233,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,94,49,4,16,46,10],"tags":[848,850,857,854,856,851,849,853,852,855],"class_list":["post-1403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-attracting-what-you-desire","category-family","category-friendship","category-inspiration","category-my-personal-bliss","category-prayer","category-spirituality","tag-bat-mitzvah","tag-best-man","tag-haftorah","tag-isaiah","tag-lung-cancer-research-foundation","tag-matron-of-honor","tag-reconstrutionist-judaism","tag-thats-what-friends-are-for","tag-thomas-jefferson-hospital","tag-torah"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n