L'Shanah Tovah

Somehow the Fall holidays always seem to sneak up on us and catch us a little bit off guard in our home. My birthday, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur all fall around the same time and I have bittersweet feelings about each passing year.

What do we hope for in the new year? We wish our loved ones a sweet, happy and healthy new year.

Tonight at dinner, Mom and I talked about some things we'd like to focus on in the new year. As soon as I get word from my PCP I'll be starting my Lyme treatment again. I asked for the strength to endure what is to come. And I hoped that this will be the year that Mom and I will get to go on a vacation together--to celebrate her 65th and my 35th in 2010. We both asked for a little more 'duck oil', a little more balance, a little more joy.

We ate free-range petite hens, tzimmes made with local sweet potatoes and carrots, and local apples with honey. Oh, and we roasted marshmallows on the grill afterwards. We lit the candles and said the prayers. We st-rolled under the clear moonless sky filled with stars listening to the songs of the cicadas and crickets.

This afternoon, neither of us felt in a celebratory mood at all. I was feeling sick and Mom was having a tough day. As Mom cooked dinner she said she began to feel the celebration within her. When I woke up from my nap to the smell of the tzimmes my heart sang.

We were both reminded of the importance of the rituals of the holidays. In our home much of how my mom shows love is through food and cooking. I am the fortunate recipient of her good cooking. I try to show lots of love back by being an 'excellent eater'! And food is a deep part of Jewish culture. So as we ate our meal and reflected on the year ahead we both felt the blessings of Rosh Hashanah.

L'Shanah Tovah! May your year be sweet, healthy and happy.

Blessings,

Emily

Photos: Apples with honey; Tzimmes