a jewish seder

The first week of homeschooling I started the girls in a homeschool gymnastics class.

That day I walked in at the same time as a mom in a very similar situation to me.
First time homeschooling.  First day there.  Starting with her kindergartener.
With older kids she was wanting to maybe homeschool the next year.

She was doing this with a sense of excitement and adventure.
A desire to have more family time, less rushing, and to foster
their values and traditions at home.

She also was a little worried about how she'd balance it all.
But was trusting that the Lord would guide her.
And we began talking.  And I felt a kinship right away.

We've been a support to each other, checking in each Wednesday
as the girls tumble and play.

She is an orthodox Jew and the mom of five.
She helps her husband with his business, balancing that fine line of
work and home and now homeschooling.

Two other friends of mine joined the class for their children.
We sit on this black leather couch and discuss politics, homesteading,
the economy, the environment, our God, our children, our joys and the things that
drive us nearly mad at times.

We hash through the most minute of cares to the heaviest of topics.

And we have a sense of community.

Sometimes my daughters get mad that I don't see all they do.

But I tell you this time on that black couch it's one of those touch points,
where you feel centered with women who get you right where you are.

Studying Genesis this year has been really amazing and enlightening
and I've found I can talk with my new friend about a lot of her traditions
and leaders of the Old Testament.

A couple of weeks ago in passing, I asked if she'd do a Seder for our children.
She was already hosting one for 30 members of her family earlier in the week.
And she was more than happy to open her home to show us how they do Seder.

That day was today.
And it was a beautiful.

And just so sweet seeing her older children leading the prayers.

Her younger daughter singing songs and sharing with us the
four questions the youngest child asks.  We learned things we did not a know, like the
plague of hail with fire inside.

And I just feel so blessed to have our children learning from each
other and bonding over centuries old traditions that link both of our faiths together.

"In every generation, each person must feel as if he personally had come out of Mitzrayim (Egypt), as the Torah says: "You should tell your child on that day, 'When I left Mitzrayim, Hashem did miracles for me .....' "

.............[The Pesach Haggadah]

In the end, we are both worshipping the God who blesses more than we

can ask or imagine.  The God who still does miracles for you and me.

And we both desire to instill in our children's hearts a love for this 

God who provides, who blesses, who has chosen us to be His people too.  

We want to praise, remember, and honor God

for all he has done in our lives.

And to keep the stories of his provision alive

so that we don't forget,

so that our children don't grow up

not knowing how amazing, how

awesome, how good our God is!