Yesterday was David’s bris, a jewish ritual of circumcision.  Darren and I approached the day feeling nervous and uneasy since we knew what was going to happen to our little boy but we respected the tradition and held the ceremony surrounded by our family and friends.   We were really touched by the large number of people that came to witness this ritual and welcome David into our family.

The afternoon ceremony began with me holding our son as Darren stood by my side.  Our mother’s walked the baby into the room where the mohel performed the ritual while being held by Grandpa Edwin who had the honoarary title of the Sandek – a title I think he was a little apprehensive about but then again who wouldn’t be considering how close he would be to the ‘procedure’.  After the circumcision which Darren witnessed (I sat further away and cried), he was given his Hebrew name, Doran Meir, which means a gift of light while being held by Grandpa Richie and Great Grandpa George.  David’s hebrew name is in loving memory of Darren’s great grandmother Dora and my grandfather Meyer.  The ceremony concluded with Darren and I standing with the mohel, our son, and David’s great grandparents as the mohel spoke about the ritual and the significance of David’s bris and future bar mitzvah date.  Then David was walked out by Grandma Lorraine and Grandma Bobbie and into the arms of our baby nurse who whisked him away to be taken care of.

David was a brave little boy the entire time and took it like a true champ.  I on the other hand cried more than he did.  Today has been a tough day as he is uncomfortable and trying to recover but he will heal in a couple of days and yesterday’s event will be a distant memory for him.  For me and Darren however, we will remember this experience vividly.