Still Counting Down ….
Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS
2 weeks to go……
Should I have company or not?
After all, I don’t want life to stop! Or maybe just a little bit? At least the mess.
And – I really don’t want more crumbs to accumulate.
What’s a family to do?
What day should we switch over. It’s definitely a giant challenge.
Listen to this poem say it best:
I bought the food.
I got the meat.
I have the pots.
Ready for the feat.
I just don’t know?
And this is true.
What day to become –
A chametz free Jew!
We are in that middle zone. Sort of no man’s land. Neither quite here or there.
We are kind of like the race horse positioned at the starting gate, chomping at the bit. But we’re just not ready to let go.
Now – I know some people are battling the other challenge. Packing!!!! Figuring out what to take and who they might see?!
And – after almost three years of being cut off from humanity you want to make a decent impression. At least that way, if friends and acquaintances don’t recognize you from before, they’ll be willing to befriend you all over again.
The shopping for new food seems only to be outdone by the shopping for new outfits:
The shanks are being scooped up and so are the tanks.
The skirt steaks are jumping off the shelves and the skirts and jumpers are too.
The dressings are running out of the stores like crazy and so are the dresses.
We are going to be telling about our long journey from slavery to freedom. And though our experience is nothing like that of our ancestors, somehow our stress level often runs a close second.
So let’s rethink this?
Are we putting too much energy into the prep and not showing up for the main event fresh and ready to embrace it’s messages. Are we too beat and exhausted from cooking, cleaning, packing, traveling etc.?
This holiday is the one that teaches us Gd is always in our lives. Maybe we don’t always see Gd there. But do you always see the crumbs?
Only when you start really looking, do you realize they are hiding in every crease and crevice. So is Gd.
Don’t be so wiped out that by the time Passover’s first night roles around you miss this no- rolls epiphany!!!
So just follow this poem’s advice:
Sweep into the sweeping with an air of glee.
And pack knowing you’re not cooking, let that make you happy.
Home or traveling know we are, a people blessed.
So, smile -and celebrate, and let’s stop being stressed!
Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals. She is a Certified Relationship Counselor. She is a Co-Founder & Creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivkirosenwald@gmail.com
