Posted on March 1, 2014
Was it the weeks and months of preparing to have lots of family and friends come into town? Could it be that our house was literally undergoing intense construction, i.e., that darn roof, days before Gabriel’s Bat Mitzvah? 
Was it feeding our family and friends for a week? I don’t know. I’m tired but in a good way.
I feel first of all so proud of my daughter and the incredible number of hours she put into preparing to chant her aliyot, lead the congregation in prayer, and deliver a fantastic sermon. She is a delight and I am proud of her brother Shane for his understanding and support. I can’t tell you how wonderful it was that so many members of both Paul’s and my family came out to California to be with us. This was the first time they had seen each other since our wedding. It was nice to see Paul’s uncle Bruce laughing with my brothers. I was also happy to invite all of Gabriel’s and our friends as well.
I was especially proud of our synagogue. I wanted to show off our musicality on Friday night and you didn’t disappoint. We are lucky to have a talented choir and musicians along with our gifted Cantorial Soloist Nancy Linder. Friday night was a great Shabbat experience and Saturday morning, was well, outstanding. I’m so appreciative of the patience and expertise of our B’nei Mitzvah Educator Larry Matalon. It was a pleasure seeing him work through the eyes of a parent. One highlight for me was seeing members of our TBD board come up for a group aliyah. Paul and I felt honored by our lay leaders and congregation’s support of our daughter’s Bat Mitzvah.
Thank you for your love and support during this simcha.