I’ve been wanting write something about the importance of spending quality family time together. The other day, I came across this wonderful post written by Susan Kaiser Greenland. How Passover Night Is Not So Different From All Other Nights It seems that Susan and I have more in common than our passion for sharing mindfulness with children.
I experienced my first Seder 14 years ago at my husband’s aunt’s house on Long Island. I still distinctly remember Aunt Lois gathering the plate of gefilte fish which I had carefully broken apart and rearranged in the same way a four-year-old rearranges their vegetables to make it look like they have eaten some. She leaned down and whispered in my ear, “This is your first Seder, isn’t it dear?”
While I am now on my 15th year of Seders (and I still don’t care for gefilte fish), Passover has become one of my favorite holidays. And, I’ll admit, it’s not easy, nor is it inexpensive, to travel nine hours with two young children to be with our family in New York for the Passover holiday. However, the time we spend together, and the message it sends our children about the importance of family relationships, is worth every minute and every penny. At the end of it all, we only have one family and those relationships are to be nurtured and cherished. When I can pass along those values to my kids as a result of the way our family makes it a point to spend holidays together, then I know I’m doing good things, not only as a parent but as a role model.
Thank you Susan for saying this so beautifully! We all need reminders like this on a regular basis – I know that I do!
