Waiting, part two… Sharing the joy of our new boy

This past Friday I posted a blog about waiting.  It’s a difficult thing to do and we are all, of necessity, forced into doing it multiple times a day. Maybe it’s as simple as waiting for the toaster to pop.  But, think about it; it’s a very common human experience. Wait. Wait. Wait.  Usually it’s just part of the daily routine.  Sometimes, though, it’s waiting for something momentous that will change your life.  Like this past Friday. We were awaiting a special delivery.  Actually a miracle.  And he arrived right on time.

A birth is always a miracle.  Isn’t it?  There is nothing bigger, more important or more momentous.  A new life, with all its promise and hope is truly incredible.  We can never be blase about such a gift.  And we are not.  We welcome our new great grandson, our first, who arrived on Friday afternoon, before Shabbat, and just a day before we celebrated the wonderful event we Jews know as Purim.  Another miracle.  The Jews were saved.

And now that this young, very young, man has joined our family we will love him always and dream amazing dreams about his future.  We will pray for his good health and that he knows a life of peace.  We will pray for the good health of his parents as they rear him to manhood.  We will rejoice with his grandparents, and his entire family.  He, like all of our babies, has brought us a new dimension.  He will not be like any other person on the planet.  He will be his own man!  Such is the mystery of life.  No matter how many of us there are on this planet, we are all unique and special.  And so it will be!

Our new boy has certain advantages.  He has exceptional parents and grandparents. He has many  aunts and uncles who are unbelievably excited to welcome him.  He is born into love and kindness and good deeds and Jewish values that have been passed on to him through the ages.

Our new boy.  He is descended from many generations of kind and loving men.  He has two very special sabim who have devoted their lives to taking care of others, to being there when others are in need. He is descended from men who will teach him to be gentle and to respect and love our traditions which they will share with him.

His father will be a source of strength to him.  He will be his teacher and his role model because his father is a warm, kind, loving, and sensitive man.

His grandmothers will lead by example and he will learn from them to respect women who will contribute so much to his life.  They are both visions of Jewish fulfillment, creativity, and dedication.

His talented mother.  Where shall I begin?  She has the voice of an angel and he will soon sing with her.  No doubt, in utero, he has been hearing her voice raised in song.  But she is so much more.  She will be his guide and morah because she is a warm,  kind, loving, and sensitive woman.

Those who are no longer here to rejoice with us must surely, in olam haba, share our happiness at the newest link in our chain.  When a Jewish child is born it is a simcha for the entire Jewish world.

And so, to our very dear great grandson, you must know that your grandmother made us parents.  Your father made us a grandparents. And now you have made me us great grandparents. We thank you.Todah rabah. We wish you a long life, a healthy life, a peaceful life and a life in which you will be a credit to your people.  We pray that you will walk the streets of Jerusalem and love them as your own and that you will be a pillar of your community, a source of strength and leadership.  We pray that you will be a man of honor and a man of peace and principle and commitment.  We pray that you will be serious but funny.  We want to see you laugh,  We wish for your happiness in all that you do.  We wish you life and love.  L’chaim little one.  Baruch ha ba. Welcome to our world.