Focused at Fifty

 Sheryl and I at Passover 2015 ***I know Passover was in the beginning of April, but I still wanted to post this piece for my series in "Cooking Through Family" as I used a family recipe. Thanks. :) Marc Passover is one of those Jewish holidays which inspires excitement and dread for   me at the same time. And the reason for both is purely selfish. I am excited because I love the foods surrounding this holiday. I dread it because of how long the Seder (the ritual dinner) may last.  The holy Jewish festival occurs each Spring and commemorates the Jews' exodus from slavery by their oppressors in Egypt. It is one of the most celebrated of holidays and lasts 8 days or 7 depending on whether or not you are in America, Israel, or the rest of the world. The length of the festival also depends on how religious a Jew you are.  Sheryl set a beautiful table! The first night of Passover is all about the special ritual dinner...

Visiting Mom and our traditions What a difficult month this has been for me. I'm not asking for a pity party and actually I'm finally getting out of my funk. You all lend me your ears and that's all I can ask for. J I have a couple blog posts written and am in the process of polishing them up to post soon. I wanted to explain my absence though. It was the 5 th anniversary of Mom's passing this year. A sad time every year. At least I don't sob openly in public anymore. Those who have lost someone close know how easily that can happen during the first couple years. The pain is still there, very raw. I am very very sad. But I process it, sometimes confront it, sometimes overwhelmed by it. That sob comes in private. I then put it back in its place until the next year when the scab is ripped off again and the process starts all over. Each year, the wound gets smaller, but still pain hurts just as much. You just learn how to deal with it better. Hope this mak...