I had forgotten how beautiful Spring is on the East Coast. Tulips and Daffodils are everywhere, poking their heads through even the most unwelcoming strips of land, and Golden Forsythia, White Dogwood, and Pink Redbud are all in full bloom. After having spent hours in the kitchen preparing for Seder, the next day was sunny and warm and we were able to eat lunch outside. I even managed to fall asleep on the grass, something I had not done in years. Weather and family aside, we had the pleasure of sharing the holidays with the offspring of our children’s contemporaries. There were three couples with babies under the age of one, the mothers women who I knew long before they were contemplating motherhood. One of the babies spent all of Yontif with us, Raviv, who everyone wanted to hold, each of us vying for his attention and affection. There was no question that this Passover was different, and Zis, just as we had hoped.
In between the cooking and eating, there were several times when something brought me back to my childhood. Today as I was walking down the streets of Williamsburg, I suddenly heard people speaking both Yiddish and Polish. And this afternoon as I sat down to eat my lunch on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I realized that I packed the very same lunch that my mother used to make me, matzoh and salami (my mother’s favorite) a Dr. Brown’s Cream soda and a Passover Rainbow Cookie ( the ones with the almond flavoring and raspberry jam separating the yellow, green, and red layers of cake covered in dark chocolate.) I thought about the fact that all my daughter wanted for lunch was my friend Judy’s Salmon, and so we prepared it last night. Maybe she was reminiscing as well. I hope that your last days of Yontif are filled with good food and the time to reminisce.
