July 29, 2016 – Sarasota, FL
On Friday mornings when I wake up now, my sweet husband asks, “Who’s coming for dinner tonight?” I usually do not have a final headcount until much later in the day. Last Friday followed suit. I had breakfast with a colleague to review some students that we share in common, and we stumbled onto the Shabbat dinner conversation while enjoying our scrambled eggs stuffed with bacon and tomatoes. I explained to her our updated ritual and how my son, husband, and brother-in-law each step up and take a specific role that they have settled into. For example, Steve does the Farmer’s Market shop, Jake helps prep the table, and Uncle Mitch decides whether or not he will make his caprese appetizer dish. Ivy, my colleague, is also Jewish, and she seemed interested in the story, so I tossed her the invite. She pondered, smiled, and reminded me that she has six kids ranging from 12 -22 years old, her husband, and herself bringing the count to eight. I nonchalantly commented, “Do you think they will all say yes?” She questioned the possibility as well? I knew two of her kids, as they had been clients of mine many years ago, and was excited to be able to connect with them. We finished breakfast, and Ivy said she would text me later. We left, and I didn’t give it a second thought, as I had Shabbat errands to run, a house to get tidy, and some students to see, and the morning shifted to afternoon. Jake texted to find out the final headcount. I held off my response. Ivy texted back, and enthusiastically accepted the invitation for all eight in her family. I replied to Jake: “There will be 17 of us tonight.” He retexted, “Seriously? That is more people than in my fire science class.” In the meantime, I just went about prepping and ignored the comment to a point.
Unfortunately, my mom who has the Parkinson’s and Lewy Body diseases is no longer able to attend our dinners, but we carried on. 5:30 landed on the clock, and the Brady Bunch family arrived at our front door. Their dad, Allen, and Steve started a bromance as they discovered that they are both gardeners, carpenters, and overall, outdoorsy. The kids quickly found the couch for lounging, and then the rest of the family arrived, our cousins, Joel and his daughter, Farin who was visiting from New Jersey, and Steve and Noreen staying in Sarasota for the summer months. The table had been set earlier with the Shabbat dinnerware, Grandma Jean and Aunt Eunice’s crystal wine goblets, challah, and two sets of candlesticks. Steve, our cousin, lead the blessings, and I had told Ivy’s family, who was less familiar with them, to just repeat the word “watermelon” over and over as it makes it look as if one knows what they are reciting. Shabbat had begun. The dinner feast consisted of Caribbean chicken, a big bowl tomato yellow pepper salad, Humbug corvina fish from Costco, watermelon salad, and applesauce. Conversation shifted from the upcoming school year, retelling my Thor sand story, seeding, jackfruit tasting, politicking, and finishing off a bottle of wine to the moment when the card playing began. “May I” is the family rummy game. Novice card players paired up, while the rest of us went solo. Highlights included Julian, the 12 year old, who proclaimed during his turn that he had “seen a lot of things,” the stealth card player, Noreen, who won both rounds, and somehow it came up that I have an invisible cape for teen rescues.
It was an incredibly warm and fulfilling Shabbat dinner, and we even had enough chairs! Here’s to those who to choose to join us and break bread with us. Shabbat Shalom.