Matthew! Passages.

He arrived in Rockport, MA without a lot of fuss, his mother all but certain we were having a girl. But our "Phoebe" was a Matty and the year after 9/11 we decided Brooklyn was our home. Not all the transitions were easy, but through it all, Garfield Temple was always there: pre-school, summer camp, Hebrew School, and finally, this. We live 8 brownstones down the hill from Congregation Beth Elohim. It was all so seamless that sometimes it felt like home. Even on the days I did not notice, Matty made it so. Bar mitzvah is the missing thread in my convoluted fabric. Watching Matthew accept his Tallis from Grandma and Grandpa completed me. And began a new journey for him -- my Matty, my guy -- artist, singer, poet, thinker. Parents always say they couldn't be prouder. I know exactly what that means.