Nice Work if you Can Get it.
There are many things I enjoy about this video. The first
are the obvious answers any Mimi would give:
- · I love our grandson’s adorable man-bun because his longer hair makes his resemblance to our daughter (his Ima) undeniable. His parents are honoring the Jewish tradition of delaying Azariah’s first haircut until he is three and old enough to wear a kippah.
- · I love Azariah’s sweet little voice and innocent answers.
As I think about this brief glimpse at our daughter as a
mama (Ima) I am impressed by the way she talks to her son with softness and
respect. It might seem like a no-brainer that a mom would speak kindly to her child
but let me add some context. Kelsey and her sons (2 ½ and 8 months) just flew back
to Israel from New Jersey earlier this week. Her infant, Elior, is still
jet lagged and not allowing Kelsey to get much sleep. Kelsey is working full-time,
and this video was shot at the end of a long week of work while traveling with
her boys. And then there is the matter of the historically stressful situation
in Israel.
As if that weren’t enough, this video was shot within an
hour of Shabbat—a Jewish Day of rest each week from sunset Friday to sunset on
Saturday. While Shabbat is a time of rest, preparing for Shabbat is a lot of
work for the Ima of the house. Kelsey often bakes fresh Challah and prepares food
for the Friday evening meal, as well as for all the meals on Saturday—no cooking
or work of any kind is allowed after sunset on Friday. That means any housekeeping
or laundry must be done prior to Shabbat. Every member of the family also
bathes. By the time the Shabbat candles are lit, most Jewish mamas are pooped! In
this context, I appreciate Kelsey’s patience and warmth toward her son even
more.
Maybe I am extra impressed because I am looking at this
video through the lens of my own years as a mama of young children. I can hear
myself telling my children not to play with the computer (even though when they
were two years old, we didn’t yet have one!). I can hear myself sounding
impatient and tired. I don’t hear any of that when Kelsey talks to Azariah in
this clip.
I know she must have moments of exhaustion that make her act
impatiently, but it warms my heart to see that she is doing better than I did.
Isn’t that what we want for our children? To do even better than we did.
For those who haven’t yet encountered the phenomenon of Ms.
Rachel, ask anyone under the age of 5. She’s a rock star. I sure hope Azariah
is successful in his mission to find her.
But Wait, There's More...
Life can be strange. Wars rage on and yet, the small moments are the big moments. We are grateful we got to enjoy a couple of precious weeks with Azariah and his family (and even Ms. Rachel). Keeping Israel and our family in our prayers. Please pray for peace.
