Homecoming
We've been in San Antonio for almost a week. Tomorrow we're heading back north to Minnesota to see my brother-in-law's new baby. And in a snap, vacation's over.
Coming home is often overrated. Catching up with old friends can be awkward when your lives have gone in different directions. Sometimes finding a place for yourself back in the social order can seem forced or unnatural. This trip was perfect, however. Perhaps four months isn't long enough for great changes to take place. But for me, late night walks through the neighborhood with my Israeli sisters couldn't have been more natural or more therapeutic. We fell into the same walking pace and the same conversational cadence. I hadn't missed a beat.
Shabbat at the synagogue was as warm and wonderful as ever. My kids joined their friends in Shabbat School as if a day hadn't gone by. And I felt the same way hugging my friends, wishing Mazal Tov to the new grandparents, and condolences to those who had suffered losses. My rabbi spoke beautifully and, as usual, brought me to tears of joy and laughter. He does it every time.
The only place where time didn't stand still was the babysitting room. Four months is long time in the life of an infant or toddler. babies when we left are crawling, toddlers are speaking, and newborns have begun to develop personalities. My baby, who spent every Saturday of her life in the babysitting room in my synagogue, cried herself to sleep in this strange environment. Everyone was delighted to see how she had grown taller, her hair curlier and wilder, and her vocabulary broader. I enjoyed seeing my family with different eyes.
Saturday was spent with our dearest friends. Our son played with his buddy, the baby played with their ten year-old babysitter in training, while the diva spent the afternoon at her friend's house. My husband and I got to really relax and enjoy the wonderful food, company, laughs, and a couple of cutthroat card games. Sabbath peace at its finest!
Today was spent in a frenzy of shopping, cleaning, and preparing for a New Year's Eve "Open House". "Open House" is what my mother calls a party when she's invited way too many people to fit into the house at one time. Since it's New Year's Eve, she's counting on people having other places to go. I don't have the heart to tell her orthodox families don't make plans for New Year's. She's going to have a packed house tonight.
She's been working like mad to prepare a fabulous event. She bought out all of the Kosher party snacks from Costco. Crackers, cheeses, lox, bagels, fruit, veggies, cookies, and snack mixes have found their final resting place in bowls, on trays, and on plastic party platters from Party City. We're loaded up with Kosher fizzy grape juice, too. It's going to be a wild time, or at least as wild as it gets with the PTA cohort. Mom spent the day worrying about everything being kosher, the house getting cleaned, and of course, every hostesses greatest nightmare: running out of food. Actually, allow me to revise that. Her worst nightmare is that she'll either run out of food, or she'll have enough leftovers to make it to 2008.
Note to hubby: that's where I get it from.
I'm going to be sad to leave tomorrow. The kids have had an amazing time visiting with their grandparents and friends. They've had their fill of Eskimo Pies, borekas, and playdates, and so have we. We'll be going home with heavy hearts, lighter suitcases, and a fabulous piece of art from an extremely talented artist friend. And possibly a second from my fabulously talented Abuela. It's hatd going back to the Chicago winter when the weather has been sunny and warmish-coolish in the 60s. It's even harder knowing a whole mess of work awaits my husband as soon as we get back.
It's an hour before the guests begin to arrive. My father has cranked up the air conditioning in order to light a fire in what should be an obsolete Texas fireplace. The food has been put out and the kids are finally coming down from their naptime meltdowns. It's time to come out of hiding.
Happy New Year's. May 2007 be happy, healthy, successful, prosperous, and full of inspiration and love!
Coming home is often overrated. Catching up with old friends can be awkward when your lives have gone in different directions. Sometimes finding a place for yourself back in the social order can seem forced or unnatural. This trip was perfect, however. Perhaps four months isn't long enough for great changes to take place. But for me, late night walks through the neighborhood with my Israeli sisters couldn't have been more natural or more therapeutic. We fell into the same walking pace and the same conversational cadence. I hadn't missed a beat.
Shabbat at the synagogue was as warm and wonderful as ever. My kids joined their friends in Shabbat School as if a day hadn't gone by. And I felt the same way hugging my friends, wishing Mazal Tov to the new grandparents, and condolences to those who had suffered losses. My rabbi spoke beautifully and, as usual, brought me to tears of joy and laughter. He does it every time.
The only place where time didn't stand still was the babysitting room. Four months is long time in the life of an infant or toddler. babies when we left are crawling, toddlers are speaking, and newborns have begun to develop personalities. My baby, who spent every Saturday of her life in the babysitting room in my synagogue, cried herself to sleep in this strange environment. Everyone was delighted to see how she had grown taller, her hair curlier and wilder, and her vocabulary broader. I enjoyed seeing my family with different eyes.
Saturday was spent with our dearest friends. Our son played with his buddy, the baby played with their ten year-old babysitter in training, while the diva spent the afternoon at her friend's house. My husband and I got to really relax and enjoy the wonderful food, company, laughs, and a couple of cutthroat card games. Sabbath peace at its finest!
Today was spent in a frenzy of shopping, cleaning, and preparing for a New Year's Eve "Open House". "Open House" is what my mother calls a party when she's invited way too many people to fit into the house at one time. Since it's New Year's Eve, she's counting on people having other places to go. I don't have the heart to tell her orthodox families don't make plans for New Year's. She's going to have a packed house tonight.
She's been working like mad to prepare a fabulous event. She bought out all of the Kosher party snacks from Costco. Crackers, cheeses, lox, bagels, fruit, veggies, cookies, and snack mixes have found their final resting place in bowls, on trays, and on plastic party platters from Party City. We're loaded up with Kosher fizzy grape juice, too. It's going to be a wild time, or at least as wild as it gets with the PTA cohort. Mom spent the day worrying about everything being kosher, the house getting cleaned, and of course, every hostesses greatest nightmare: running out of food. Actually, allow me to revise that. Her worst nightmare is that she'll either run out of food, or she'll have enough leftovers to make it to 2008.
Note to hubby: that's where I get it from.
I'm going to be sad to leave tomorrow. The kids have had an amazing time visiting with their grandparents and friends. They've had their fill of Eskimo Pies, borekas, and playdates, and so have we. We'll be going home with heavy hearts, lighter suitcases, and a fabulous piece of art from an extremely talented artist friend. And possibly a second from my fabulously talented Abuela. It's hatd going back to the Chicago winter when the weather has been sunny and warmish-coolish in the 60s. It's even harder knowing a whole mess of work awaits my husband as soon as we get back.
It's an hour before the guests begin to arrive. My father has cranked up the air conditioning in order to light a fire in what should be an obsolete Texas fireplace. The food has been put out and the kids are finally coming down from their naptime meltdowns. It's time to come out of hiding.
Happy New Year's. May 2007 be happy, healthy, successful, prosperous, and full of inspiration and love!
posted by law school widow at 5:14 PM
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