On Friday night, Al and I drove to the suburbs after work. We greeted my parents and dogs and then drove to my grandparents' home where we spent time with my grandmother, my siblings, and my aunt and uncle and cousin from New Jersey. From there, we went to the Passover seder. This was the first time in my life that my New Jersey family was present, and it was a real treat to have them there. (See a detailed recap of a Passover seder here!)
Now, I'm thinking about signing up for the Soldier Field 10-Miler. Anybody want to join me?
The rabbi something beautiful during the ceremony (which I will paraphrase): It's not about the money and fame that we achieve in our lifetime. It's about the people we love and who love us back. This is so true. My grandfather was a quiet and often irritable man in his older age, but he loved us and we loved him as well. My brother Ben, who spoke at the ceremony, remarked on how my grandfather was very proud and stubborn but accepted help when he couldn't walk or move around by himself so that he could go to our birthday celebrations, family holidays, and weddings. He never missed anything if he could help it, because he wanted to be there with us. That's how I'm going to remember my grandfather.
Before I end this, I want to capture the true spirit of Passover and share one of the best recipes out there: fried matzoh. The picture is from a few years ago and doesn't look very appetizing, but this stuff is amazing. Who needs regular French toast when you have this?
Our family time spread into Monday afternoon, and with the funeral/shiva going late into Sunday (and after feeling so emotionally drained), I didn't post anything Monday. The bi-weekly posts will resume next week!