try, then try harder

This past weekend I was reminded how much real true hard work pays off. I remember my Dad instilling that lesson in me very early on -- the idea of 'the early bird gets the worm' and the notion that nothing comes easy, that you have to give it your all to see the reward.

On and off for the last year my niece has been preparing for her bat mitzvah -- something that has evolved into no small task vs when I was her age. And there were times when she fell behind in her hebrew due to the incredible amount of pressure she puts on herself in school and other activities. So there was a point when she didn't want to change the date of her event again and was going to opt out all together. But that didn't feel right. Not just b/c she knew she could do it if she went about it at her own pace but also b/c it had come to really mean something to her. The meaning of the event as well as the idea of setting your mind to something and accomplishing it.

And so on August 25th 2012 my niece Margaret stood in front of the congregation and led the service by reading Hebrew (and not translated Hebrew like I did!) out of the Torah. She read with such poise, confidence and beauty in her voice. I was blown away by her -- truly, my most proud moment as an Aunt thus far. I can't even imagine how amazing it must have felt for my brother and sister in law...just so special. And as part of her commitment she had to work on a special project that needed to be themed around a word out of the Torah -- Margaret's word was about fairness. So she wrote and designed a story book Emma's Gift that was truly amazing. All about honesty, fairness, and keeping the world a beautiful place by helping others to treat each other how we'd like to be treated. I was blown away by her maturity, emotional intelligence and overall perspective on the world. A real honor to watch this girl grow up.

So all in all we had a beautiful day. Margaret, in the spirit of being the cool kid that she is, wanted her day to be different. So she opted for the Park where the Synagogue does only 2-3 services a year but had never done a bat mitzvah. It was one of the most beautiful scenes I had ever seen -- magical in a way. There she was standing before us with her beautiful flowing dress and hair while the gentle breeze blew and the leaves slowly fell. Just incredible.

So once again I'm reminded that when you set your mind to something, you work hard, and you try and never give up -- you will experience wonderful things. And what's been even more rewarding was watching my niece experience that very same life lesson.