Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 23 - Pre-Existing Arrangements

Greg waited with the children and Mr. Simms at the house for Susan to come home.

"Where is she, Papa?" Jessie asked not long after they arrived.

"Mama is spending time with her brother, Jessie," Greg said.

"Is Uncle Stephen Mama's brother?" Jessie asked.

"Yes, and Grandma was their mother," Greg tried to explain.

"Oh," Jessie said with a frown. "I didn't have my brother any more when I lost my mother."

"I remember. They died together," Greg recalled. "We must be patient with Mama and allow her the time she needs to deal with this in her own way."

"Greg, does Mom always go off by herself when she loses someone?" Zack asked.

Greg thought about Zack's question for a moment before responding.

"I'm not sure I know the answer to that, Zack. What I have noticed is she has a tendency to go off on her own when she needs to pray," Greg told him. "To me, I am certain this would be such a time, so I am not surprised she has chosen to do that today."

"Is Mama praying with Uncle Stephen?" Jessie asked.

"Nah, she's probably just talking to him," Zack told her. "I don't think Uncle Stephen really believes."

"You mean he doesn't have faith?" Jessie asked.

"He isn't saved," Zack told her.

Jessie furrowed her brow. "Am I saved?"

"Oh ... I don't know, Jess. Probably," Zack told her.

"Why do you think that?" Matt asked his brother.

"Because ... Jessie believes, she studies the Bible, and she listens to God," Zack said.

"Yeah, but she's going to Hebrew School. Doesn't that mean Jessie's going to be Jewish?" Matt asked.

"Does it, Papa?" Jessie asked, with wide eyes.

"That is the expectation of those who teach at the school for those students who attend," Greg said. "However you are not committed to that path until your bat mitzvah."

"You mean like Jake had?" Jessie asked.

"It would be similar, but a bar mitzvah is for boys while a bat mitzvah is for girls," Greg explained.

"And then I would be Jewish?" Jessie asked.

"Then you would be accepted as part of the Jewish community," Greg agreed.

"Oh," Jessie said with a frown.

"That won't happen until you're older," Greg said when she seemed worried about the prospect, "Or not at all if you decide not to."

"Can you do that?" Zack asked.

"Yes. Neil did as a youth," Greg told him. "One attends Hebrew School in order to make an informed decision. Having a bat mitzvah or bar mitzvah upon graduation is not required, but it is encouraged, as it demonstrates a commitment to live according to the Laws of Moses."

"I guess it's sort of like being baptized," Zack said.

"No, it isn't," Matt said.

"In the sense that it represents a commitment to follow a certain path, Zack is correct," Greg said. "It does represent a decision point in a person's life."

"Except don't you have to be a certain age to have a bar mitzvah or a bat mitzvah?" Matt asked.

"You have to be of an age to be considered an adult in the Jewish congregation," Greg explained. "For boys, that is 13; for girls, that is 12."