I felt like sharing a slice of my life, 24 hours of it.
For 25 years, my partner and I lived next door to a wonderful family in brownstone Brooklyn. She is German-born; he is Irish. They are Catholic. They have three beautiful daughters. They were children when we moved onto the block, now they are beautiful young women. The oldest daughter married a man of Irish descent. The middle daughter married a Chinese-American man. The third daughter was married last night to a French man who is Jewish. Their actual wedding was held in Cambridge last May, but their family wedding was held last night in Brooklyn on the waterfront, with the Statue of Liberty in the background.
The groom’s extended family–sixty of them!–flew over from France. A score of the bride’s maternal family flew in from Germany. People of many nationalities joined together to celebrate their nuptials. The ceremony was a traditional Jewish wedding, with a Chupah (a ceremonial cloth) stretched over the couple, a cantor singing in Hebrew, and a klezmer band playing Yiddish music. The wedding was followed by dinner and dancing and toasts. Some of the toasts were in French, and the French clan laughed heartily at jokes the rest of us could not understand. Then the French clan surrounded the happy couple and sang a song in English from the American musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” They sang, “To Life, to Life, L’Chaim, L’Chaim, L’Chaim to Life. And if your good fortune never comes, here’s to whatever comes, drink l’chaim to life!” (I remembered that many years ago, my husband and I bought a house in Pound Ridge, New York, from the man who wrote that music.)
A D.J., played dance music, most of it written and performed by African American singers. The dancing was spectacular, although it didn’t include me, because my knees are too fragile for dancing. Swaying, yes, not dancing.
For a moment, life was the way it should be. I felt as though this young couple and their family and friends were repairing the world.
Tonight, my partner Mary and I went to a cabaret–Feinstein’s 54 Underground–to hear Christine Ebersole, the wonderful actress and singer, perform. The room was packed. There was joy in the air.
Life goes on.
A good 24 hours.
What a wonderful post to read — thanks.
It is important to enjoy life, friends and family in the era of the Trump kleptocrats.
Illegitimi non carborundum
😎
Wonderful … L’Chaim.
How sweet! Let joy be the antidote to the haters!
We represent the best in this country. You see it all over. When people really see what we do, how we live, it will become contagious. We’ve had these moments in the past. We offer a future worth having!
Can nativism and neo-nazism and climate deniers really compete?
Diane wrote, “I felt as though this young couple and their family and friends were repairing the world.”
Life is good. A big YES to tikkun olam, repairing the world! –Or like my Mom taught me, as stewards we are charged with remedying the human condition.
Great example of how this can be accomplished in many ways, such as by embracing diversity, celebrating family and following our bliss! Life is sooo good. Baruch HaShem.
Thank you for sharing these wonderful family stories with us, Diane. It gives us hope!
We have communicated in the past about the term Schadenfreude. Your post had me picking my brain for the opposite. Couldn’t think of it. But then I realized it was in the word: Freude. Joy. Your post gave me great Freude. As dark as our times seem, we must experience joy to the fullest whenever we can. It reminds us of our humanity; of the good for which we should strive and the hope we need every minute of our lives. Also, danke für die Freudensgefühle die du uns Heute mitteilte!
Therefore, thank you for the feelings of joy that you shared with us today!
Wouldn’t joy in others’ joy be “Freudefreude”?
One would think so, but no, no such word. Don’t know what that says about those of us of the German persuasion.
Music to my ears Diane. Thanks for sharing this wonderful day, great friends and spectacular performing arts and song. .Made my evening.
Thanks for sharing that. It reminded me of part of the TED radio hour this evening. The theme was talking across the political/religious/etc. divide (not to imply that you were describing a divide). The Lord Rabbi of London or UK, the former Norwegian Foreign Minister who had mediated in many conflict zones, and Georgia NPR radio host Celeste Headley and others spoke of finding ways to reach across these chasms. It can start with just talking and asking a person what they’re thinking, why, etc. Just to listen, rather than try to change the other’s mind. See below.
Of course, I want to change minds, but I also want to find opportunities to reach across the polarized distance.
http://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/
Public radio host Celeste Headlee has lots of experience with difficult conversations. She has learned that sometimes the most persuasive tool is to reserve judgement and just listen.
About Celeste Headlee
Celeste Headlee hosts the daily news show On Second Thought from Georgia Public Broadcasting. She has worked in public radio since 1999, as a reporter, correspondent and host. She has spent more than a decade working with NPR and has been a host for Public Radio International since 2008. Headlee has also appeared on CNN, the BBC, PBS, and MSNBC.
Headlee is the author of the book We Need To Talk: How To Have Conversations That Matter.
Joyful, Diane. Forget about test scores. Made me want to levitate in my chair and do a one-man hora. 🙂
Nice! Me, too!
Wonderful, wonderful, wonder full!!! So lovely to read this.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful time! We need to be reminded that every day in every place we are all the same and can find joy in celebrating each other.
I’m sorry, but that sounds like too much fun. There outta be a law against it! 😉
What a beautiful celebration of life. These are moments of hope and light. And they are so important to our soul and spirit.
Thanks, Diane. It is true that this city is still a great place to live and be. Sometimes it helps to be reminded….
Diane,
Thank you for sharing. So pleased you had a TERRIFIC day. We all CARE about YOU.
When things are going well for you in NYC, there’s no better place in the world to be.
ENJOY!
Such a wonderful post! Thank you for sharing. We all need a little light and laughter, hope and love in our lives. Best to you!
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing your day. It made mine today!
😍
Sounds like a wonderful day, Diane. Considering the outpouring of love and acceptance, i think the people involved will be carrying this light with them, wherever they go.
BTW: Pound Ridge is beautiful. We used to have All County cross country meets there when I was in high school. A 3 1/2 mile course on some of the nicest woodland trails you could ever hope to find.
My grandma took me to see Fiddler on the Roof in a grand, old Hollywood theater when it came out. That was a great movie. Thank you for reminding me.
slytle
Thank you for this–I loved every word of it. Calls up so many memories and makes me hopeful-l’chaim!
How chilling that you posted this just before the horrible events in downtown Manhattan just now. I was walking along that beautiful path along the Hudson around this time last year and can only imagine how everyone is feeling there right now. My heart goes out to you.
David,
I had the same thought.
Halloween in Brooklyn was a delightful as ever, the streets were swarming with children and parents in costume. I visited my grandsons, ages 4 and 11, and neither they nor their parents knew what had happened in Manhattan, a few miles away. It’s important to let children have a childhood.
My thoughts exactly, David & Diane. Heard on the news while driving & pulled over to call my niece in NY. When she called back a little less than an hour later, she apologized for not having called me right away, worried about anxiety it may have caused. Thank G-d she, her husband, relatives & friends were safe.
Thoughts & prayers to the victims, their families & their friends.
So glad that the children had their Halloween (Chicago mayor expressed his concern, extra vigilance/security, but Halloween parades & festivities continued here, as well.
Yes, they must have a childhood, especially in this day & age.