Spring, or as New Englanders’ call it, ‘mud season,’ is approaching whether we’re ready or not. A neighbor’s tulip magnolia is showing off, robins are bouncing around leaf piles, and daffodils are waving in the wind. Another season of rebirth is upon us, and masks are starting to give way to smiling faces. But first we Jews must relive the story of Purim by dressing up in costumes, making noise when a certain villain’s name is mentioned, and eating hat-shaped pastries.
Purim is about a Persian queen named Esther, who was not only beautiful enough to win the king’s hand in a beauty contest, but smart enough to know when to reveal her Jewishness in order to save her people. Esther was the original mighty, Jewish/Disney princess! She was the Bible’s first wonder woman.
On our way to Disneyland last month, I told the Love Bug that if we’re lucky we may get to see Cinderella! She looked me straight in the eye and said, “I’m not really into princesses anymore, Nana.” My heart skipped a beat, while my head caught up with the times.
The Bride’s temple was celebrating an Encanto-themed Purim carnival yesterday. The latest Disney movie isn’t about a princess after all; it’s about a young girl in a magical village finding her special gift, her passion. It’s about a community coming together to bring light out of the darkness, and to discover a universal truth.
Last week, the Love Bug called and said she wanted to dress up as Dolores for Purim. Now, Dolores is not the star of Encanto, the girl searching for her gift. She is simply a supporting character, a cousin who already has the super/power/gift of super human hearing – like a newspaper reporter, Delores knows ALL the gossip. She is the oracle of the village.
This would be an excellent fit for our creative would-be designer/writer/counselor empathic Bug. Even her teacher said that she can befriend everyone and still manage to stay out of all the pre-teen drama. So we headed out to a fabric store on the outskirts of town to look for red fabric and yellow ribbon to make a peasant skirt. It was almost like being in a candy store. We touched and stroked all the bolts of beautiful fabric until we found just the right red damask.
Pop Bob resurrected the old sewing machine and learned how to make pleats, while I searched my closet for espadrilles and a brooch for Dolores’ choker. Yesterday, the Groom put her hair up and fashioned a gorgeous red bow in the morning while the Bride was working. Then we all met up for the carnival and to our utter delight, the Love Bug won Best Costume!
Bob, the Tailor extraordinaire, just told me we have more hyacinths in bloom, in a range of colors. Who was it that said… “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away?” Our gifts change as we age, but the impetus to share, that altruistic urge to help one another, is our universal truth.
Esther spoke truth to power. Dolores always knew that what people were saying, was not necessarily what they were thinking. What is your gift, and how will you commemorate (hopefully) the end of a pandemic? I plan on taking a deep breath, and working to ensure we continue to have a free press.
Dolores
Tulip Magnolia
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