I spent the last two weekends celebrating special events in the lives of the children of dear friends of mine. First, I attended the Bat Mitzvah in Westchester of the daughter of one of my closest friends since I was 5 years old. Then I flew to Montreal to celebrate the Bar Mitzvah of the son of one of my closest friends since I was 12. It would have been easy, in each case, to let my friends know that we just couldn't make it and they would have understood. We're all so busy and caught up in the chaos of our own lives that it's generally easiest to maintain our focus and to politely decline any invitations that cause the schedule to deviate. I am so glad that I didn't take the easy way out! I was so moved by each of the events I attended and so overjoyed to be part of the celebration. When the children of your childhood friends attain adulthood, it's surreal (when it's your own kids, you're just in denial) and so much fun!
One of my favorite parts of each of the weekends was the unmistakable, palpable joy and pride on the faces of people who mean the world to me. I was so happy for them. Another one of my favorite parts of these two weekends was the fact that the importance of these forever friendships was not lost on my daughters. Their own lives are changing every minute and I think they found some comfort in the reminder that some friendships can and do last a lifetime. I think they shared my excitement over the fact that I was able to attend both events and I think they were pleased that I made sure to make the time. It's so important to make sure our kids know that no matter how busy we get, we can and must make time to celebrate the good times with loved ones. If we don't, we run the risk of getting together only when tragedy strikes - and our friendships deserve so much more!
Today's book selection is about two friends and is selected in honor of my lifelong friend Rhona, whose son celebrated his Bar Mitzvah this past weekend in Montreal. Rhona is an exceptionally talented artist, inspiring the selection of David Wiesner's
Art & Max. This happens to be the book that earned David the Illustrator of the Year award at the Children's Choice Book Awards two weeks ago. I particularly love that fact since I read one review that questioned whether kids would like this book. Well, more than 500,000 kids voted for their favorites in this year's Children's Choice Book Awards and they made their favorites known. This book is not only spectacularly beautiful, it's also clever and compelling - just like my friend Rhona!
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