Yesterday, I led my very last Shabbat song session for a school I’ve been teaching at for the past 8 years. I am leaving them, because I am starting a new job in January with full time hours. It is a wonderful change, but that doesn’t mean I can walk away from people who I have come to love without some heartache and tears.
As I walked into the room filled with a gazillion little inquisitive eyes peering at me with expectations of an energetic 30 minutes ahead, every single song, chord, note, melody and word out of my mouth suddenly became so meaningful. I was striving to remember every ounce of that moment…trying my best to freeze it into my brain for eternity.
Somehow in these 8 years, I have developed strong relationships with every single little person and staff that has crossed my path. I see them all as influential individuals and as a community that has welcomed me with open arms. I am going to miss them so much.
Before I left, they handed me a banner of well wishes that every person in the school had signed, and they sang “Shalom Chaverim” (“Good My Friends”) to me…a song I normally sing to them. When it was my turn to dismiss each of the classrooms with that song, I barely could get the words out. I was so choked up. This group of people is my family, however, and family members stick by each other. So, when I couldn’t get the words out, they filled in for me. Loud voices covered up my blank spaces that my breath just couldn’t catch up to. They all had my back.
So, now that’s it’s a little over 24 hours later, I’m bringing the song back to them. Here is “Shalom Chaverim” as my song of the day. Click HERE to hear it and know that it is my goodbye to some very dear people who have been so good to me. Shalom, lovely chaverim! I love you!