At the wedding, they were treated like honored guests, as they celebrated full-heartedly in the simcha. Finally, it was time to present their surprise.  The girls ran into the middle of the dancing circle, each donning a special shirt, which featured one letter on the front that, when all the girls danced in a row, spelled out “Mazal Tov.”  Then they all turned around, so that their madricha could read what was written on the back.

It was a two-line rhyming verse which, translated into English, read: “I came here to celebrate with you, and to tell you how much you’ve given me.”   Surrounding that verse were a list of the gifts they’d received from their counselor:

“You believed in me.”

“You imbued me with energy.”

“You made me feel I belong.”

“I’ve gained so much from feeling part of the community.”

“You cared about every aspect of my personal development.”

The girls dancing in their special shirts was definitely the hit of the evening!