To Becca on her Bat Mitzvah
Dear Rebecca,
For one of your last English assignments this year, you wrote a piece about all the changes you’ve undergone in your first year of Middle School. You wrote about making new friends, paying more attention to your clothes, ditching your old huge pink glasses and trying contact lenses for the first time. I think you left out the part where you started sleeping later and using up all the hot water, but that’s okay because most of the changes this year have been to the good.
When I left for school last fall you were still the same shy girl who once asked about the “eggs virus.” Now you’re the independent young lady who agrees to see R-rated movies with her friends—without even asking Mom and Dad. You no longer have to be told not to imitate your sister all the time. You always know exactly what you want.
So don’t let Grandma Tirzah give you too much of a hard time about quitting piano, and don’t feel held back by what Hannah and I have done. Don’t worry about asking permission all the time. Just follow your judgment where it leads you, and don’t forget to send back a postcard once in a while. We love you.