::shock:: an update!
Today was Amelia Marian's naming ceremony. It was really a lovely ceremony (I'd never been to one before) and while it was nominally presided over by a rabbi, she didn't really say much and left most of that to the parents, sibling, and family and friends of the child, which I thought was a nice touch. While I am not sure what Amelia would have preferred (she was happily napping in her parents' arms the whole time and only woke up later, during the socializing), I really did like that there was no preaching. I also liked that aside from the very few references to God in the formal beginnings of prayers and in the traditional 7 blessings, there was very little in the ceremony that was not secular....-ish. I mean, yes, it is a religious ceremony, but it was mostly about the child growing to her names (and namesakes, to some extent) and living a fully, happy life with the love and support of the people gathered around her. That was nice.
It made me think that while I don't self-identify as Jewish, (or if I have to, I admit only to being "culturally Jewish") that there really is a whole heritage there. I mean, I knew the prayers and the songs, despite the fact that I earned the not-so-distinguished title of Hebrew School Dropout approximately 15 years ago. (Granted, Jewish songs aren't all that hard to remember, seeing as how they generally only have about 5 words, which are then endlessly repeated.) So, yeah, despite spazzing a bit yesterday about how I had NO IDEA what a naming ceremony was and how I therefore had no idea how to avoid any faux pas, I really felt fairly comfortable throughout. It was, despite my not actually being related to Amelia, just another family semi-religious thing, and those are pretty stress-free.
All in all, it really was a lovely ceremony.
And after that, Diego and I went to Lisa and Stephen's to make (drumroll, please) candy sushi. hehe. Rice krispies treats wrapped around gummi worms and swedish fish, all wrapped in fruit roll-ups. Hehe. That was fun. And then I managed to get home without getting lost, even sans-GPS. I have to buy a new charger for it tomorrow.
So, yeah, I had a nice weekend. And my coworker is back from her vacation as of tomorrow, meaning that she can take her work back. Thank goodness for that.
It made me think that while I don't self-identify as Jewish, (or if I have to, I admit only to being "culturally Jewish") that there really is a whole heritage there. I mean, I knew the prayers and the songs, despite the fact that I earned the not-so-distinguished title of Hebrew School Dropout approximately 15 years ago. (Granted, Jewish songs aren't all that hard to remember, seeing as how they generally only have about 5 words, which are then endlessly repeated.) So, yeah, despite spazzing a bit yesterday about how I had NO IDEA what a naming ceremony was and how I therefore had no idea how to avoid any faux pas, I really felt fairly comfortable throughout. It was, despite my not actually being related to Amelia, just another family semi-religious thing, and those are pretty stress-free.
All in all, it really was a lovely ceremony.
And after that, Diego and I went to Lisa and Stephen's to make (drumroll, please) candy sushi. hehe. Rice krispies treats wrapped around gummi worms and swedish fish, all wrapped in fruit roll-ups. Hehe. That was fun. And then I managed to get home without getting lost, even sans-GPS. I have to buy a new charger for it tomorrow.
So, yeah, I had a nice weekend. And my coworker is back from her vacation as of tomorrow, meaning that she can take her work back. Thank goodness for that.