Sometimes, an occasion calls for a more extensive commentary. Like a birthday speech. A Best Man's Toast at a wedding. A Maid of Honor speech. A father's words at his child's Bar or Bat Mitzvah. A eulogy at the passing of a loved one. Or an elaborate statement that you might make at a friend's retirement dinner. Occasions like these call for a custom speech from Poems To Go.

Give us the information or background that paints a picture (our questionnaire makes it all quick and easy) and we'll deliver a speech, a toast or a commentary that puts your words in a golden light - and will be remembered by all who hear it for a long time to come. Don't forget that Poems to Go! will write for any occasion! For any questions, please email me now: amy@poemstogo.tv.

Not too long ago, we received a request from a very proud father. His twin children were celebrating this "B'nai Mitzvah" ( a bar mitzvah and a bat mitzvah - simultaneously!) He asked us to craft a speech and he provided the information and context as required. We responded with the speech below. It was a big hit among the celebrants! "You're the best, Amy," he wrote afterward. "My kids were thrilled, my wife and my parents were beaming, and I felt on top of the world when I read your speech. I'd recommend your services to anyone who needs to speak - on any topic! Arthur R."

A B'nai Mitzvah Speech

Dear Jill and John, Thank you for showing us the relevance of Terumah. Your commentary is filled with insight ...and it brings special life to this most special day of your B'nai Mitzvah.

Your Mom and I wish you a heartfelt Mazel Tov - only good luck for the two of you over a long and joyous life. That's what we want for you.

Since you blessed us with your arrival some thirteen year ago, you have brought immeasurable happiness into our lives. Watching you grow up...from delightful children into marvelous young adults..has been an altogether life-affirming experience. We thank you deeply for all that you are..and all that you continue to mean to us over these years. We look forward to the future with a strong sense of confidence and brightness.

Today, of course, is your B'nai Mitzvah - and you did a beautiful job of reading - and interpreting - your Torah portions. No one understands more than your mom and I how your wonderful performance today is the result of years of diligent study. You have continually showed admirable willingness to learn. Your depth of commitment and responsibility has been enormous. And today all that effort showed itself beautifully. You have every right to feel enormous pride in yourselves. I know I feel great pride in all that you have done.

I'm still thinking about your commentary on Terumah, and the way you reminded us of how relevant the Torah continues to be - in every day of our lives. In the process of illuminating Terumah, you brought special life to this ceremony. You made your B'nai Mitzvah come alive for all of us.

Considering your words on Terumah, the ones that resonate the most with me are those in which you described a new Jewish nation, freshly conceived and born of newly freed slaves - ones who for so long had nothing - and ones who, now, were asked to give up their newly-acquired possessions -- all to make a special place, a tabernacle, for G-d.

How remarkable this is! A nation just freed from misery and poverty...became a nation that is defined by sharing and kindness. How wonderfully divine! And how incredibly encompassing of the best of human nature! This is precisely why Torah - and its teachings - will continue to stand the test of time. And why Torah readings, like yours today on this day of your B'nai Mizvah, bear such wonderful, timelss meaning.

Jill...John..just know that the love your mother and I feel for you is as eternal as the teachings of Torah. We are SO grateful to have children like you..children who continue to make us proud because of your achievements in the classroom, on the athletic field..and in the content of your character.

John, you make me proudest of all because I see how you understand the value of friendship and compassion. How you invite your friends into our home wih such ease and comfort..and how you instill the same in them when they visit with us. Son, I remember as well, an episode of a few years back, when that young boy from Korea, I think his name was Sam moved into our neighborhood. He could barely speak English. He must have felt so ill at ease. But YOU took the time, and made the effort, both in and out of school, to make this young man comfortable in his new environment. You befriended him...and it was a beautiful thing to watch.

Jill...our pride in you is centered upon your incredible sense of the importance of family. Your mom and I have noted it so often..in so many ways. For instance, all those times when you would forego your own activities, sacrifice your own time to travel wtih John and be there when he played in important baseball tournaments. Your support really helped your brother. And it meant the world to us to see it.

It's wonderful and appropriate that your Torah portion was Terumah - all about giving unselfishly. Because that's precisely what the two of you do so naturally, and so purely. We know that you will continue to give in this way all throughout your long, healthy, love-filled lives. And in the proces of giving as such, you will receive a great deal of love and compassion in return. Kids..you deserve it.

I wish to end my statement with one last note of celebration and heartfelt satisfaction. I refer to my father, Sheldon Roemer. Dad is a holocaust survivor, one who endured almost 5 years of that which is truly unendurable.

Dad, the fact that you are here now, celebrating the B'nai Mitzvah of your grandchildren, speaks volumes for your strength, for your love of life, for your will to survive. I can't tell you how grateful I am for all that you have been, and all that you have meant to me over these years.

To say "thank you", to say anything at all, is hardly enough to express my love and admiration for you. Just know how thrilled I am for this day, a day when my father, an ultimate survivor, and my children, have cause to celebrate together. To all, Shabbat Shalom...and thank you for sharing this occasion with us.

Amy Gumley Poems To Go!

http://www.Poemstogo.tv

Creating memorable poems, speeches and toasts for life's special occasions.