Today is erev Rosh Hashana, which I always relate to as Rosh Hashana Eve (thanks Christian upbringing!) because Jewish holidays always start at night. As with the day leading into all holidays, it is usually filled with cooking, cleaning, prepping, and maybe praying. When we lived in Jerusalem, each holiday would unfold around us in a bustling community filled with others preparing to celebrate together. Here in America life goes on as usual, so it takes a bit more effort to secure the mental atmosphere of a very important day approaching. This year we are hosting some friends who happen not to be Jewish, so we are excited to share our holiday traditions and foods with them. It is an extra incentive to think about and explain why we do what we do and what it means. Each holiday that goes by, Ben is older, more aware, more interested and has more questions for us. As I share my knowledge with him, and find answers to questions that I often don’t know, I learn so many things. Such is life with kids, thankfully!

Speaking of thankfully, at holiday time when my refrigerator is overflowing with beautiful food, and gathering ingredients for a meal is as easy as walking to the Kosher store next door, I think of those in the past who were not free to celebrate these holidays, or did so only with great struggle and risk. I also think of those right now who don’t have the abundance and freedom that we have and I feel extremely humbled and very grateful for this sweet life.

This week I am also very grateful that Mo is off from school and we are enjoying extra family time. On Sunday we took a drive down to meet friends at the Wynwood Walls, an outdoor street art gallery of sorts around the corner from our favorite coffee shop. Here are some photos from our expedition (photo credits to Mo and Ben!)

HULK

taking it all in

pic-nic

photo by Ben

If you are celebrating Rosh Hashana, or if you aren’t, I wish you a Shana Tova U’Metuka (literally, a good and sweet year) filled with enough and more than enough, what you want and what you need, love in all the places you struggle, peace in all the wars inside and outside, beauty where you see ugliness, and tears to wash away all the dust. Thank you for reading, for your support from near and far, and for coming along on this journey. My mom friends post is featured on the Huffington Post Parents page today which is super exciting!Have a great rest of your week, I’ll be back online on Sunday, when my mom will be here!

love,

c