As I sat down to write this, for once in my life I was at a loss. Not at what to say, but how to express what it means to be Isabella’s mother and to share her bat mitzvah day with her and her community. I reflect on the last 13 years and all she has endured, experienced, accomplished and how much she amazes us each and every day. Isabella’s bat mitzvah day was one that I never expected to experience—a day that as a mom, I hoped and prayed for, but knew that the odds were against us.