Jewish Musings, Wednesday 4/3

[lee058]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.


Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:



Frieda (hopefully)?
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy


And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to, but you are also welcome to chime in. Don’t be shy!

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well and SAFE! Please pray for Israel.

Today's topic: What's important to you about April?

Right now, I can think of three aspects. First, the flowers and trees. I wrote yesterday about how much I love seeing them bloom. Somebody (sorry, can't remember who) said that maybe we love them because they don't last forever. I think I appreciate the changes because of this, although I would be happy to see things blossoming all year, and skipping winter. Who knows, maybe someday I will live in a warmer climate. In the meantime, I will appreciate what I've got!

Second, April 11th was my Grandma Goldie's birthday. She was very important to me, and I loved her a lot. I can't believe that she was born 126 years ago!! She came to the USA right at the turn of last century, as part of the great Jewish migration. The world has changed in so many ways, but I can still see her in my mind and heart.

Third, April 28th is DH's birthday. We always celebrate with a pie, since he likes them better than cake. This year, he will be 61 (hard to believe).

How about you? Have a peaceful day, Lee

[hollygail]

I didn't get back here yesterday (I started earlier in the morning than the thread got started and was busy the rest of the day.) Lee, you reminded me of a children's story I wrote 30 or 40 years ago. It was about a little child with a name that could be either a boy's name or a girl's; I wanted the child who was being read the story to be able to identify with the child in the story. The mother and the child in the story planted seeds for flowers. The child watered the seeds diligently and watched the first shoots come out of the dirt into the air and saw it grow from seed into full maturity, all told lovingly. And then the child watched it die and felt sadness. And sure enough, the following spring, it started to grow again and the child was filled with joy once again. I wrote it for children who lost a grandparent, with the aim of showing the child that although s/he lost something loved, the child could feel joy again in the future. Thanks for the reminder; I haven't thought about that story in a very long time.

[gazelle18]

April is one of my favorite months. The weather here is generally lovely, and there are festivals every weekend, and people are generally happy and in a good mood. April is my DD’s bday month, and it nearly always includes Passover, which is a big family time for us. I’ll try to send a photo later via email of the azaleas which bloomed recently in my backyard.

[peachymom1]

Good morning everyone, and happy Wednesday! It's going to be sunny and warm here today, then we have a storm coming later this week. My sister in Kentucky was on tornado watch last night, but all they got was thunderstorms, so they're OK, thank God.

April includes my only nephew's birthday, his wife's birthday and their anniversary. It also includes the anniversary of one of my sisters (my only nephew's mother), and I always remember flying to Kentucky for their wedding. Well, I actually flew to Nashville and then drove for an hour and a half, so technically I flew to Tennessee, not Kentucky. Also, Administrative Professionals' Day is toward the end of the month, and that's always enjoyable. Usually I get flowers and a gift of some kind, though occasionally it's just a card with a heartfelt message from my execs, which means more to me than the flowers and gifts.

But the overriding mood of April for me is Passover and the preparation leading up to it, which includes menu planning in addition to all the cleaning. We've gotten very good at eating up all our chametz before the holiday begins!

[louise]

Passover is what's on my mind as well. I really have to get go ng cleaning the fridge. Friday morning I am goi ng to try and get the paper goods for our community seder - maybe some food for the kiddushes too. I am bringing someone my chocolate oblivion truffle torte so I want to pick up a pound of good chocolate and frozen raspberries too.

[hollygail]

April is the earliest that the Jacaranda trees start to bloom. Some trees start earlier than others, but by the middle of May, it's unlikely that any specific Jacaranda hasn't started. The blooms last around 6 weeks, so we get to see the incredible light purple flowers from around the middle of April until about the middle of June. I'm looking forward to that!

As for Passover preparations, I'm leading two sedarim this year for two rather different groups of people. I'm gathering material to bring to each, and there are things that "fit" one group but not the other, so I really do have the equivalent of two different assignments. But I love it, so it's not "work" per se.

[lee058]

Just wanted to mention that my Scrabble friend Carol has never had macaroons! So, of course, I am going to surprise her with some at our next games.

Hope it's been a happy day for all, Lee