Maddy’s Bat Mitzvah

All that planning and preparation, months of practicing and it was all over in the blink of an eye. Maddy was remarkably poised, Leigh-Anne was proud and I was beaming.

Photography for the event was ably handled by Jessica on whose blog site you can find sample pictures from the Tuesday afternoon rehearsal and the Sunday evening party.

In the end, I was not prepared for the pure joy I felt throughout the weekend. I was so proud of Maddy’s accomplishments and I was so happy to see her reveling in the attention. Then, it occurred to me that Bar/Bat Mitzvah’s are not just signifying a child’s passage into adulthood, but a parent’s passage to the next stage of parenthood – grandparenthood, perhaps. Hard to imagine, sitting there watching a 14-year-old chant from the Torah. But then again, I did not imagine 7 years ago when Maddy came into my life that I would be sitting behind her on the bimah while she chanted Torah at her Bat Mitzvah.

Life is full if surprises. And this one was one of the sweetest.