I do like riding Ferris wheels, (George Washington Ferris, a civil engineer from Illinois, invented the Ferris wheel in the 1890’s. The first Ferris wheel was built for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair in 1893.) the really tall and slow to rise Ferris wheels especially. I liken the ride upward to life’s special adventures. You ride slowly upward toward the summit to an adventure, an expectation or a special life event. Hopefully you linger on the top for a long while, suspended in air, savoring every moment, hoping it will last forever.
The summit this past weekend was our youngest grandson (of five) and his Bar Mitzvah. We rode the two years of preparation thinking the July 4th weekend of 2016 would be a long time in coming. And indeed it was, all in due time then suddenly we reached the pinnacle and we lingered there for several days with family members and friends arriving, Kabbalat Shabbat welcoming guests and a glorious Shabbat, the Bar Mitzvah rituals done with fervor, high emotion, expertise and joy. Avi chanted beautifully as did his Abba or father Yechiel and his older brother Azriel. Avi, our talented musician, gave a post Shabbat special concert on the Sax playing with feeling and love for the family to savor and enjoy. Zayde the grandpa (my husband Paul) nicely covered details in his blog; http://xctraveler.blogspot.com/2016/07/time-compression.html
Avi’s Ima or mom, our daughter in law, Miriam planned the days to perfection and beyond. I will be glowing with joy for a long time to come over Avi’s special day and the 4 grandson’s that have celebrated their bar mitzvah through the years as well as the planning of each event of a lifetime to perfection and long lasting memories. (Malena planning her son’s bar mitzvot with the same joy) How lucky we, the Bubbe and Zayde remain, filled with a lifetime of pride and anticipation as our grandsons become adults.
Savoring the love, respect and good family relationships that our greater family is lucky enough to enjoy is a gift and certainly incorporates hard work, understanding and good will among all members of our clan. I still remain at the pinnacle of that Ferris wheel and will descend slowly, disembark and head down the road to more life’s milestones, adventures and stories to tell. Many folks have asked me to share some photos (believe it or not, taken with my smart phone not my big honking camera) of the Bar Mitzvah celebration and I will do so for those who wish to see them.
We have departed our long term campsite in Southern California for points eastward through the heat of the summer and are stopped in Roses Campground in Quartzsite, AZ (a town known to other RVers) but in the summer it is deserted and quiet. One can turn right or left onto the highway without waiting for many minutes and can park in a campground for reasonable prices and lonely hookups. Already, I anticipate the next adventures along the road and hope to have many Monday Blog stories to share.
I will send more images to individual family members and friends and to Marilyn Levy, the talented maker of the special Kippot designed for the four younger grandsons for their bar mitzvot.