Passage of Time — by Robin

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity. All good though, so I’m grateful.

My nephew had a Bar Mitzvah. Saturday was the temple service, and Sunday night was the reception. Sunday was also Seth’s 7th birthday party…in the afternoon…so we had a very quick, if not somewhat hectic, turnaround from one event to the other. I went from flats to heels, pantyhose, and formal attire almost instantly. While it felt a bit overwhelming, at the end of the day, it turned out to be very special and I look back with fond memories.

What stuck out for me the most was the notion of the passage of time. We had 16 children, including my son, at his party, and a few I hadn’t seen in some time. One boy, in particular, I didn’t even recognize because he looked so like a big boy now. His hair was slicked back, and he had a maturity in this face (at age 7) that I had yet to see. Even a girl, who Seth has referred to as his girlfriend since kindergarten, looked taller and more mature.

Then we headed over to the Bar Mitzvah, which was quite a swanky shindig. Unlike any other I’d ever attended. Not a beat was missed….everything was offered from an extensive gaming area for the kids to comfy slippers for the female guests upon departure. I would have loved to ditch my heels during the affair and wear them then. Would have come in handy.

A highlight of the affair for me was a slide presentation of the Bar Mitzvah boy’s first 13 years of life. He has two brothers. One younger, one older. His maternal grandma recently passed away. And, all were shown. It was so well done. They shared all kinds of moments….some special….some everyday….but all heartfelt, capturing the essence of family and depicting how fast time goes. You see it in the growth of a child from a baby to proud Bar Mitzvah boy.

He did his family and all who witnessed proud. And, if for a moment, it led others, like myself, to pause and take stock of who is in our lives who we love and how we spend time with them, then it’s all the more poignant. And, also to value our children at every phase of their lives since youth is indeed precious and fleeting.