As the sun set this evening, Channah reached the age of Bat Mitzvah. She
automatically took a step forward in her life where she halachically takes
responsibility for her own actions. We went out for dinner as a family to
celebrate the occasion.
I keep thinking back to the night Channah was born. 5 weeks earlier
Rachel's water broke. Channah blocked the hole with her head, allowing the
pregnancy to continue in the safety of the womb. My Mom had come to join us for
Friday night dinner in the hospital room. We sent her home earlier than we
expected when fetal distress started to set in. Channah was born 12:45 am
weighing a whopping 1320 grams. I didn't meet her for hours after she was born
as she was quickly whisked away to receive medical attention. At 3:00 am I was
kicked out of the hospital in order to let Rachel get some rest. I went
bouncing down the street back to the apartment I was staying at. As there was
no one else around, I excitedly shared the news with the security guard for the
building. In the morning, I shared the exciting news with the strangers staying
in the same guest apartment for the night.
A friend of mine wrote an article and used a quote that truly rings true in
my head.
The quote is from Rebbe Nachman
which had been a major song from my NCSY days.
כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאוד, והעיקר - לא
לפחד כלל
'The whole world is a very narrow bridge. The most important thing is to
have no fear at all'
The night Channah was born, I was completely clueless at how much danger
Channah was in. I looked at the entire 6.5 week NICU experience as simply the
path to bring her home. It never occurred to me that her life was in
danger.
If someone told me at that time her Bat Mitzvah would be taking place in
Israel with a Canadian theme, I would have thought they were crazy.
Tomorrow morning, Channah and I will be driving to the 'holy' city of Metula
for the only hockey tournament in the world that has a daf yomi shiur.
Over 4 days, I will be playing in 5 games for the Grey Team as we attempt to
win the tournament. In between games, Channah and I will be picking food from
the fields for Leket, a trip to the hot springs, a 2 hour ATV ride of the area
and a tour of how they make pomegranate wine. I truly look forward to this
time to bond with her as a young lady, and truly see how much she has grown.
In two weeks she will be celebrating with a skating activity followed by an
elaborate party with her friends. I would never have guessed the unique Bat
Mitzvah experience combined with recently allowing Channah restricted access to
WhatsApp, would break down the walls of isolation that Channah has been
struggling with for so long.
The hospital Channah was born at follow their preemies for 6 years. Their
research found that preemies tend to have a stubborn streak. They were not sure
if the stubbornness was a natural character trait that increased the chance of
survival or if it was a natural reaction to the NICU experience.
Channah is as stubborn as they come. At times it can be frustrating when she
decides to start a battle of wits. Once you get through to her, she has the
power to excel. Every teacher who has ever had her has loved to have her as a
student. Her grades show it. She also has poise to handle the most difficult
challenges that life can throw at her. She has always been something
special.
Life can be scary. Sometimes looking back at what we have overcome together
can be shocking when I realize how afraid I should have been. Without fear we
can achieve anything. I am so proud of the young lady she has become.