Letter from the Director, Ellen Diamond….. |
Dear Friends,
This has been a challenging winter both personally and for many others. During difficult times, it is easy to fall back on the negative, to wake up each morning and wonder with trepidation, what else will happen today? My challenge this spring, to myself and to others who tend to fall back on the negative, is to try to wake up each morning with a different mindset. Observant Jews wake up each morning and before they even get out of bed, they recite Modeh Ani, a prayer which thanks G-d for restoring one’s soul each morning. For the past few weeks, I have tried to incorporate that prayer into my morning. However, something about this prayer felt uncomfortable to me. This morning, I woke up, said the words but I needed a bit more. I decided to look up different interpretations of this prayer.
“There is an abiding spirit that undergirds and animates the universe”
“Every morning I wake up is a gift”
“The reality that the universe is greater than we can possibly understand-whether or not we acknowledge it-orients us toward abundance”
“I am grateful, Source of Life, for another day, and for the possibility of abundance.”
Taken from an article written by Rabbi Deborah Waxman
As I searched, I began to find my version of Modeh Ani but it is only the beginning. Now that I have found interpretations that resonate with me, I need to incorporate these interpretations into a morning prayer, or gratitude practice, that is uniquely my own.
I share some of the words that I found today in the hopes that they may resonate with someone reading this and that it may help them to wake up and face the day, even a difficult one, with a bit of gratitude or wonder. If these words do not feel right for you, perhaps they will inspire you to find your own words.
I am writing this on Transgender Day of Visibility, a day on which we honor and celebrate transgender and gender non-conforming people while still acknowledging that we still have work to do here and around the world. Through my work as the director of Camp Ga’avah, I have been so lucky to meet and work with so many amazing transgender and gender non-conforming young people. Their courage inspires and teaches me every day to work towards being my authentic self.
Let’s all work together to make a world where everyone is free to be their authentic selves!
Ellen
she/her/hers
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Camp Ga'avah's virtual hangout is a casual online space for kids 11-17 who identify as LGBTQ.
Every Tuesday at 7, our zoom opens and kids have the chance to convene with others around their age and truly be themselves, unfettered by expectations or judgement.
Our group explores ways to connect with each other as well as provides a platform to talk about our intersecting identities, interests, personal stories, and aspirations.
This space is one that encourages fun and even silliness with weekly games and quick rounds of trivia, story building and other creative exercises. We recognize the myriad abilities of our participants and highlight the unique experiences of each individual.
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We are so excited to open Camp Ga'avah for our 4th summer! We will be back at the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds to enjoy the outdoors and updated facilities. Camp will be open June 28-Aug20th.
Swimming will now be in the brand new pool complex built by Island Quest Day Camp. We are also looking forward to some amazing new activities to our schedule such as kick boxing, circus arts, and more!
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Book Review
by Maria O'Leary
The Bold World: A Memoir of A Family and Transformation
By Jodie Patterson
From Amazon: In 2009, Jodie Patterson, mother of five and beauty entrepreneur, has her world turned upside down when her determined toddler, Penelope, reveals, “Mama, I’m not a girl. I am a boy.” The Pattersons are a tribe of unapologetic Black matriarchs, scholars, financiers, Southern activists, artists, musicians, and disruptors, but with Penelope’s revelation, Jodie realizes her existing definition of family isn’t wide enough for her child’s needs.
In The Bold World, we witness Patterson reshaping her own attitudes, beliefs, and biases, learning from her children, and a whole new community, how to meet the needs of her transgender son. In doing so, she opens the minds of those who raised and fortified her, all the while challenging cultural norms and gender expectations. Patterson finds that the fight for racial equality in which her ancestors were so prominent helped pave the way for the current gender revolution.
From Georgia to South Carolina, Ghana to Brooklyn, Patterson learns to remove the division between me and you, us and them, straight and queer—and she reminds us to celebrate her uncle Gil Scott Heron’s prophecy that the revolution will not be televised. It will happen deeply, unequivocally, inside each and every one of us. Transition, we learn, doesn’t just belong to the transgender person. Transition, for the sake of knowing more and becoming more, is the responsibility of and gift to all.
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The Bold World is the result, an intimate and exquisite story of authenticity, courage, and love.
Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope
Jodie Patterson, illus. by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. Crown, Apr. 20 $17.99 ISBN 978-0-593-12363-8. Ages 4–8.
From Amazon: In this companion to Jodie Patterson's adult memoir, The Bold World, Patterson shares her son Penelope’s frustrations and triumphs on his journey to share himself with the world. Penelope knows that he's a boy. (And a ninja.) The problem is getting everyone else to realize it. Penelope's experiences show children that it always makes you stronger when you are true to yourself and who you really are.
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Sponsor a Camper Today!
Ga'avah Scholarship Fund
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We aim to provide every child who wants attend camp and year round programs with the opportunity to do so! Please make a donation to the Ga'avah Scholarship Fund to help LGBTQ youth participate. Contact
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Thank you to our partners!
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Thank you to UJA Federation New York for their continued support. |
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