BY SANDY LEONG : Monday, December 12, 2011
I just had a whirlwind weekend celebrating our dear family friends’ son’s Bar Mitzvah. We attended the Friday night service, followed by dinner, the Saturday morning service, followed by lunch and the party to end all parties, Saturday night.
The service at the Synagogue was beautiful and our Bar Mitzvah boy was amazing. Long after we have all forgotten the fun and fanfare associated with the party, the moment I will remember the most is when the Rabbi takes the Torah, and passes if from Grandparent to Grandparent, to the Parents, who in turn pass it on to their son. I was so completely moved by this even though I had seen it done so many times before. Maybe I’m just getting more sentimental as I get older, but there was something so heartwarming and emotional.
In this age of instant gratification, immediate connection via internet, smart phones, Facebook, Twitter and everything in between it’s nice to see a tradition that you have to wait for, to earn, and deserve. I am not Jewish and we are not raising our children in the Jewish tradition but I love that sense of tradition. Of passing something onto the next generation. It’s how we keep our family histories alive.
My Grandmother's Bracelet
My Bracelet
My baby bracelet and my daughter's baby bracelet
I remember my mom and her older sister giving me a ring and a bracelet that had once been their mother’s (my grandmother). My Aunt, being the oldest daughter received the bulk of my grandmother’s jewelry to pass on to her daughters. Fortunately for me, she had four boys. The bracelet is made from teak wood, with 24k gold findings and hinges. It is so worn in some places, the wood is so thin, and has been repaired several times from being worn almost everyday of my grandmother’s adult life that it can’t be really worn anymore. But it’s beautiful. And I have my teakwood and 24k bracelet, and someday my mom will give me hers. I try to design jewelry with that in mind. It's all 18k gold that is classic with a twist. But definitely something that can and hopefully will be passed down from mother to daughter. I know my 15 year daughter is constantly in my jewelry box and wearing my current collections. I don’t know if she would appreciate receiving our family bracelets now because it doesn’t have a designer label on it, and maybe not even a monetary value, but I hope someday she will see the real value in it and treasure it as much as I do. Until then, she can wait, and want, and earn and deserve it.
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