Meaningful Relationships and the Power of Words
Two years ago, I went to a Bat Mitzvah and saw my friend, a School Psychologist, who said to me: “Michal - look around the room and guess which bar/bat mitzvah age child is my favorite?” I scanned the room but did not immediately grasp what she was getting at. She then subtlety pointed to the child who was sitting alone, his shirt half-untucked with food stains all over it, and of course the huge "sensory kippah" covering his entire head. He did not appear comfortable to be at the celebration. It was an eye opening moment for me. Of course, my psychologist friend loved the child that did not outwardly fit in and conform to the unwritten standards of junior high social rules which included at that time slicked back gelled hair, the "cool" shirt, and a kippah half its size. She then went over to speak with him and help him socialize even though she was "technically" not on the job. Her connecting to him and speaking with him was so impactful. She had already...