A Catholic and a Jew all in the same week

rapper MC is born....



yo yo yo.....






We'll get back to my rapper girl later......

Ok first off if anyone reading this is devoutly religious without a sense of humor, skip this one.

I was raised Catholic in a pre-dominately Jewish neighborhood. I was actually really into being Catholic - going to Catholic retreats and singing in the folk group. It was very important to me to go to a Catholic college, which I did. And there I lost interest. Freshman year was the end of my Catholic days.

So here we are 20+ years later and I haven't given religion a thought. My Mother has been horrified that Maya hasn't been baptized and my response has been I'm not going to participate in something if I don't believe in it. But then again.......my very dear friend Kathy, also Irish, also raised Catholic, and also non-practicing has a good point. She had her daughters baptized. Why? Because......what if we're wrong. Hummmmmm.....food for thought. Wouldn't want her burning in hell because Mama was stubborn.

All of this is a preface to how I became a practicing Catholic and a Jew all in the same week.

It all began with wanting to pull Maya out of Primrose for reasons not worth getting into. Just the right thing for her. Who knew just how difficult it is to get a 19 month old into a pre-school!!! I had no idea. Everywhere I called had waiting lists and lotteries. Of course I sought all of my friend's advice about where they sent their kids, who has the best reputation, etc...

I started calling, filling out applications, touring, and getting overwhelmed by it all. I'd heard great things about a Catholic school that doesn't start until age 3 and goes thru 6th grade. Maya wouldn't be eligible until Fall of 2009. BUT I was told, "get on the waiting list now!" I did. And by the way, there is a much better chance if you are a member of the parish. Well........do you hear that? That sound would be the angels singing, Ahhhhhhhhh in response to my Mother's prayers. As she says "The Secret" works.

What the hell. I joined the parish. We have to go to church 2x/month minimum to be active members. And yes, Maya will be baptized. I mean I'm already there.

We also applied to Montessori which I am excited about and hope she gets in for Fall of this year. This school goes through 6th grade as well. I loved everything about it. We find out in March. Again - lottery. Oh and there is an interview for this one. I go on Friday. One of the schools I called initially, the JCC (Jewish Community Center) has a great reputation in the area. Everyone raves about it. When I called them I was told not much of a chance of us getting in since we weren't members. I was told by friends that it is quite diverse - about 50% Jewish and 50% everything else. That appealed to me - the diversity. Personally, I think diversity is important. In fact my main objection to the Catholic school is the lack of diversity - a sea of blonde hair and blue eyes.

The JCC called the same week I joined the Catholic parish to say they opened a new Toddler class and have a spot for Maya starting the next week. I was delighted. Ran down there, toured, and signed a bunch of papers. One of which made me a high member. No clue if I spelled that correctly and no idea what it means. I think I'm a Jew now too. Basically I've gone from agnostic to card carrying member of two religions in a week all for the benefit of a 19 month old's education.

It sounds crazy right? I know. I never thought I'd be obsessed with all of this at her age. After all of this I just want her somewhere that I think is good for her and I don't have to go through this again until college.

It actually doesn't feel bad to be back at Church. Amazing how all of those rituals come back as if it were yesterday. I really like our Priest and Maya LOVES the singing. When they stop she says more...more...and claps. Maybe it will be a good thing for us. Do you hear that???? Yeah, the angels again.

And I do like the JCC. I like the community there, the core values of their belief system, and the embracing of all cultures.

In the end however, it seems her future is as a rapper. I turned around yesterday and she had pulled her coat off of the railing and my hat. This is her feminine ensemble. I'm so proud.