Benjamin Keener in Honor of his Bar Mitzvah

When Ben was 7 years old he asked me to be his G-dmother.  He talked with his parents and our rabbinic intern about this idea. The following summer we celebrated Ben's 8th birthday and afterwards I offically became Ben's G-dmother, below are  the promises I made to him that day and recall with tremendous pride on this day as our community celebrates Ben as a Bar Mitzvah.

Sometimes in life, our direction is clear, we know where we are going, and how to get there.

Sometimes life is more confusing, the way is less clear, and we find ourselves creating a new path.

There is often value in following in the footsteps of our mothers and fathers, building on their experiences, and benefiting from their wisdom. It prepares us for days when our lives demand we make our own way, having benefited from the experiences that have brought us to this moment, and perhaps even allow us to prepare the path we are walking for future travelers.

You have been blessed with many who love you and who will guide you. I am honored that you chose me to be among them. In asking me as your G-dmother and working with our rabbi to create a ritual to celebrate our new connection, you already show you have the ability to make your own way as well as the ability to identify who might have the wisdom to help you when you have questions.

Benjamin - May you always be blessed with kindness and caring for others. May you always know friendships like the ones I share with your parents. May the direction of your life include many choices.  Some choices will be small and others BIG enough to change your whole life! I wish both for you.

Each choice will have a story. Each will come with challenges and promises. I assure you
each of us here will have thoughts to offer and advice to give about what choice to take, which path to follow.

But you can also count on me to listen. Listen to you and help you listen to the deepest parts of yourself. You can count on me to encourage you to trust what your heart hears as you have new experiences, grow in wisdom, and choose your own way through this life.

Photo by: DonBarrington Intrepid Images

Ripe for Shabbat

Shared Abundance

Firm curves
yield
to a sharp edge

Seeds, escape injury                                                          
slick, slippery, sliding
thru a wound

Poorly timed
to their
pregnant purpose

Slices lay
like memories
overlapping and afloat

Pale green leaves
cradled
in warm folds

Uncomplicated
abundance matched
with heat

Wholesome,
seductive,
nourishing.
  
  - Jennifer Eskridge

re: a meal shared

Be Kind

Another Vision of Forever

Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing,
there is a field. I’ll meet you there.

When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.

Ideas, language, even the phrase ‘each other’
doesn’t make sense any more.

That field is where I live.

-Rumi
13th-century Persian Muslim Poet