retreat

I took my kids on a retreat to celebrate Shabbat with one of my son’s Hebrew school classmates. We’d only recently joined the synagogue, and I didn’t know anyone who’d be going: I thought of it as a chance for all of us to make some new friends. At the introductions, before dinner, my ten-year-old began with “My mom is 48 years old,” giving everyone a good laugh. Later that evening, there was a time in the service when the Rabbi asked if anyone had a family member or friend experiencing an illness. The same son nearly jumped out of his chair, raising his hand, as I cringed. “My mom is recovering from cancer,” he told the group.
This is not the way I would normally have presented myself. I would have much preferred, as with this site, to hold out my accomplishments, like a bouquet or a shield, before getting to subjects like mortality. We probably made more friends this way, though.