The BJW mother-daughter paint night was a
remarkable experience with loads of bonding and laughter. From the artwork, to
the instructor, to the interesting speaker and more everything was super fun
and stimulating. My mom and I got a chance which we don’t often get to, to bond
and cultivate an even closer relationship.
We began the night with a talk on
Intergenerational Connection by Vera Borukhov which was followed by an exercise
where both my mother and I shared the things we appreciate about each other. This
past year my parents gave me the opportunity to study in a Seminary in Israel.
It was hard on both of us being that I was across the world away from my
comfort, my parents and my mom was away from her daughter. We couldn’t talk
everyday and couldn’t share the moments together. My mom began by telling me
that she was proud of me for reaching my goals and being brave enough to grow
by working on myself. I really appreciated hearing that. In turn, I told her
that I appreciated everything she does for me and the individual attention she
gives to me. This gave me an opportunity to show my gratitude to my mom which I
was grateful for.
The night continued with a trivia game led by
Elana Yuabov. This gave us the opportunity to get to know other mothers and daughters
who were there which was really fun especially since our team won. We had to
put our minds together, one girl was really good at science, another one at
riddles, a girl that was good at geography and a mother that was good at math.
As I was sitting down looking around at my teammates a sense of pride filled me
that these are my Jewish sisters, super friendly, smart and personable.
Special thank you to the awesome paint
instructor we had, Victoria Khanimov-Gavrielov, she encouraged us to paint with
laughter and not take things too seriously. She contributed to an uplifting
environment by making jokes and assisting anyone who asked.
The BJW mother-daughter paint night was an
evening that definitely left a mark on my mother and I. It taught me the value
of openly acknowledging and appreciating the people we love. It reminded me
that love and gratitude are not meant to be kept hidden within our hearts, but
rather expressed and shared with the ones we love. I am grateful for this
opportunity to spend time with my mom surrounded by smiling and happy people.
I know this event would not be possible without
the organizers at BJW and the amazing sponsors to which I am very grateful. I
truly look forward to being part of many more of these bonding opportunities
within our community.
Rachel Aviva Hasanov
