SoCS – April 16 – Passover – Nose/noes/knows

Linda is our host for SoCS.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “nose/noes/knows.” Use one, use ’em all, bonus points if you use all three. Have fun!

No one knows how much I’ve missed sharing my Passover these last few years. I have been carrying on the tradition of hosting the Passover Seder for years. Once my beloved aunt was no longer able to prepare the meal, I took over. I do not keep a Kosher kitchen, but I did my best to accommodate my family’s needs. When I first started hosting, we used the Haggadah my aunt used. When the grandkids came along, I started using the 30-minute Seder I found online. It was still difficult for the little ones to stay focused for the long evening. For a few Seders, I would bring out children’s books about Passover and the kids would each choose one to read. It was a different way to celebrate, but the meaning was still there.

In years past, I would often invite teacher friends who had never been to a Seder. My daughters would invite friends of theirs who had never been to a Seder either.  Sharing my family traditions was wonderful to me. I would keep a list of yesses and noes to see what the head count was. I loved the times I needed two large tables to accommodate everyone. I have photos of my dear friends’ young kids, who are now 30 somethings, washing people’s hands with a pitcher and a towel. I have fond memories of another teacher friend who came with her spouse who spoke very little English. Food made for a great way to communicate. From the minute people walked through the door, their nose told them they were going to enjoy some yummy food.

This year was still odd. There were just three of us partaking of our Seder. Covid tests were taken to make sure it was safe to get together. Sadly, we are all vulnerable. Once we knew we were being safe, plans moved forward. I was overjoyed to be having dinner with my cousin.

I have been prepping and cleaning for many days. Passover is the perfect reason to complete my spring cleaning. Every day that I physically could, I worked out front for a while, out back for a while, and in the house for a while. Each year I make some sort of unique way to show where people should sit. I have made mini photo albums, stamps with my guest’s names on them, flower arrangements, and CDs with their favorite music. This year I bought decorated jars with lids and filled them with each person’s favorite See’s candy. The tops had each person’s initial on it. It was not hard to find your seat with only three people attending. LOL

The five courses went off without a hitch. We spent hours sharing our meal and memories. Just when you think you can’t eat another bite, dessert is brought out. How do you resist some chocolate? I had enough food left over to send home a giant care package with my cousin.

My hope is that next year will be better for the world in many ways.