Passover This Year....

...has been different for me, and I'm guessing it's been different for everyone who celebrates this joyful, marvelous holiday.  It's my favorite holiday along with Thanksgiving...to me, it's kind of like the Jewish Thanksgiving.  I always celebrate with my family in Indiana and eagerly look forward to it every year.  That part isn't any different this year, but I did have the great good fortune of celebrating the second night with some marvelous old friends and new friends and their kids and their kids' kids, so it was a rollicking and festive and energetic evening.  Our fabulous hosts went out of their way to have vegetarian dishes for me, the only vegetarian among a whole host of people.  I mean, how amazing is that???  I never expect any special treatment due to my vegetarianism, but I have been surprised and delighted how much people want to take care of me and make sure I have something to eat :-)

I think the "next year in Jerusalem" part is very difficult right now, which is a phrase that occurs in any standard Haggadah, which is the story of Passover that everyone uses at Seder, though there are many different personalized ways of retelling the story.  Wherever you may stand on what's happening in Israel and the Middle East, that particular phrase from the Haggadah gives all of us pause.  I'm not here to tell you how or what to think.  My own personal view is that I believe people in every corner of the world all want the same thing - to feel safe, to be able to wake up, go about their day without fear, to love who they love, pray whoever they pray to (or not), have food on the table, shelter, and to hope for a better world without harm.  I've been thinking about that a lot, what with our presidential election coming up, war in Ukraine, war in Israel, Iran on the brink of doing unthinkable things, who knows what's happening in North Korea, the war on women and our reproductive choices, the war on gender and who you are....it seems like there's a lot of terrorism in the world, both foreign and domestic.  I was thinking last night that perhaps instead of "next year in Jerusalem," I want "this year and all years in peace."  I know.  It's a lot to wish for.  A girl can dream.

On a completely different subject, this iris was a bonus plant that one of my BFFFs mistakenly included in the cup plants that she brought me to plant at the cottage.  I never thought it would bloom, but look!!!!  And another iris bloomed yesterday!!  And two more are about to open as well!  Life is full of wonderful surprises, isn't it?  I hope your day is full of wonder and beauty and that you hug someone you love today. "This year and all years in peace."  Peace out to you.