I Have Missed Relationships the Most
I think that what is most different for me these past two years, and what seems to affect all the different aspects of my life – home, family, friends, work, organizations (ECE-RJ), etc. – is the actual building of relationships. I still have most of the same relationships I had before, but I have not had the opportunity to build many new relationships. I would not have thought I would miss it so much, considering how hard it can be to develop or strengthen a relationship.
As an EC director, last year it was harder than ever before to get to know new families well and this year it is only a little easier. It has been so long since parents could spend time schmoozing in the lobby with each other and me, so long since we have had an in-person Tot Shabbat dinner where I got to know the extended families of the children and welcome out of town grandparents who came in to visit on that particular weekend so they could go to Tot Shabbat, so long since I have seen the faces of siblings without masks.
I miss in-person professional development, meetings with colleagues, and conferences. I even miss (but not much) the initial and sometimes awkward moments of trying to remember names and pronounce them correctly. I miss the next part of a new relationship- where two or more people get to know each other, finding the commonalities and putting more emphasis on those than the differences. I miss playing Jewish Geography - the back and forth of finding who you have in common – because there almost always is someone.
I have so greatly missed having an in-person ECE-RJ Conference to attend. I miss the learning, the praying, the singing, the talking, the celebrating. But mostly I miss going to an ECE-RJ conference and seeing old friends, and then leaving the conference with new friends, knowing that by the next conference the new friends will be old friends. Please, come to the November 2022 ECE-RJ Conference in San Diego – Lech Lecha: Moving Forward Together. Reconnect. Reimagine. Rebound. This conference is going to be a very special experience – one that I think we all need. If you are my old friend, please come so we can have a real hug. If you are a friend that I don’t know yet – I cannot wait to meet you, and to soon think of you like an old friend, too.
Fern
