Gemotions

Sarah’s grandmother, a woman whose life had been a tapestry of Catholic rituals and traditions, announced her conversion to Judaism over a plate of bagels. Sarah felt a peculiar lightness, as if she were floating. The words felt disconnected from reality, like a scene from a poorly written play.

She had to focus to keep from laughing. Her grandmother, with her rosary beads permanently looped around her wrist and her weekly confessionals, suddenly embraced the Torah. Sarah’s internal world did a complete somersault.

"But Grandma," Sarah stammered, her voice barely a whisper, "what about… everything?" Her grandmother simply smiled, a mischievous glint in her usually gentle eyes, and picked up a bagel, humming a tune. Sarah felt as though the floor beneath her had tilted.