Sunday, April 20, 2008

Passover

Ah and here you all though we were totally anti-religious, not so! Actually my dh made some grumbles about having to go to services but he enjoyed himself in the end so all was good. It's been a looong while since I celebrated Passover, my first husband was Jewish and I celebrated it a few times with his family but they were not the funnest of folk. The congregation we celebrate the Jewish holidays with out here with are some of the most wonderful people we've ever met. Really stellar people and let me tell you, not mainstream at all. They are the Messianic Jews (Jews for Jesus) and are not usually well accepted into the general Jewish population. Sad but true. We also got to see our friend who lost her daughter late last year in the car accident, a lovely lovely woman. Her husband decided to bail at the last moment but she, thankfully, still came. It was so awesome to see her and it reminds us that we need to make a much better effort to see them more often. We even were able to talk religion (they are very religious) in a very open manner (the dh's religious views are not always so openly accepted by the very religious) and found that they have (unsurprisingly) a similar view as ours as to organized religion. They've found themselves church hopping lately since many of the churches have not been meeting their needs. They belonged to a very large very popular church out here and since they buried their daughter not one person from that church has come to them to offer emotional support, it's been 4 months! Let me tell you I am shocked and disappointed but not surprised. Like 8 days after their daughter died the mom had her 41st b-day and was freaking out (as moms do when their child dies or when they turn 41, the combo, not so good) at 1 am so her hubby called up on of the elders of the Messianic Jewish Congregation that held services tonight and he was at their house sitting in their bedroom, suit and tie on, reading scripture to her until she was able to fall asleep peacefully. Now that is why we have organized religion. Not all this other enormous church/government/businesses mammoths that now exist for people to throw money into. I have had very little religious upbringing, well more like none. Which is very common, rather, the norm, in So Cal. It surprises me that the different parts of the country are sooo different. Religion is quite prominent here in Texas, everyone is Christian and assumes everyone else is the same. It makes me feel bad for those of other religions. Really when you take your kids to Chuck E. Cheese type places you don't expect to have all the toys that they win to have Jesus fish on them but they do. It's a midwestern form of religious intolerance and we don't like it. One of the biggies in the formation of the good ol' US of A was religious tolerance and yet we're finding that these major issues seem to be going though a backslide. That and the right to bear arms. DO NOT get the hubby started on that one. We consider ourselves to be relatively conservative but obviously not in the classic way.
Regardless, back to my point, I really would like to get the kid started in some sort of religious learning. For whatever reason (peer pressure, who knows) she shows an affinity towards it and keeping her in the dark about it will only lead to bigger problems. If I can get the wherewithall to get to services I think I'd like to go to the Messianic Jewish services. The downside? It's a good 45 minute drive away and dang it all if commutes like that don't just ruin it for us. That's why our friends don't go on a regular basis too. Good thing I wasn't born in the old cart and buggy days, I'd just roll over and die!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

michelle michelle michellllllle

I could read your crap for hours its just like listening to you talk!
whats with the emergency brain sugery ? and no i had no idea you are jewish (are you?), and i love th dog being 'brain jacked' we used to have one of those, but now we have a dog named ruby (!) who is an only slightly psycho staffy and is rather small - about the size of one of widows bedtime snacks.
we also now have 2 boys, matthew (now nearly 6 and in year 1 at school and never shuts up) and kellen (now 11 months and way more difficult than his big brother ever was).
and we still have the quilt you made for matthew, kelly sleeps under it every night - its getting real cold now and seems to ahve been raining for ever. Our 3000L (thats 750 gallons for you) rain tank has never been less than 90% full since we installed it 12 months ago.
incidentally, judy made a similar quilt for nancys new baby (Henry) last year. what goes around, comes around.
hey i could blather on like this for ages in true stream of conscious fashion but i'd better not. I am absolutely buggered and i have to go give kelly his godnight bottle (the one for which he never opens his eyes yet manages to suck down the whole thing)prior to another very early start tomorrow (i.e. 600am). I am currently doing an intensive 3day practical 2D gel course for 48 masters biotech students which is very draining, but even more so as its school holidays so i have to take both boys to 2 difference daycares prior to my 9am start then pic them both up before 530 and then get home and make dinner because judy has been at work till 9pm last night, 730 tonight and so on. Punctuation is overrated - read John dos passos or cormac mccarthy for evidence. Read the border trilogy by CMC (set in west texas) but dont read The Road, his latest - as a mum it will make you violently sick.
can i go now?

MichelleSG said...

Paul you are a freak!! Nice to hear you guys are doing well (an obviously just as insane as we are). Email me sometime and we can ramble more, michellesgfbrn@gmail.com
I have a bazillion email addys but that's the one I use most. I try to post as often as possible but life out in suburbia of the southwest can be wonderfully dull. That is why we came out here after all!