I love our Friday night dinners, we always invite guests, sometimes close friends, other times new friends. Yesterday nobody was available, so I asked my neighbor, who has come before, if we could have the pleasure of her company, and she said yes. My husband is the chef extraordinaire, and we always make tons of salads, sometimes fish, and always the main meat or chicken platter. We didn’t know if anybody was coming, but our kids love our Shabbat dinner with guests, and we always prepare for whatever is meant to be.
BED
This morning I was relaxing in my bed, and it occurred to me that I bought the bed 15 years ago when I first moved to Los Angeles. I have a bed complex, growing up I always had a small bed, somehow my brother always got the big bed. I had a large room and a small bed, my brother had a small room and a big bed. We ended up switching rooms, and I still got the small bed. So when I moved to LA with no debt, but no savings and no job, I put $800 on a california king that is still with me today. It has been through marriage, nursing, three babies, and I still love it so much.
LIFE
We are all so busy living life, appointments, children, work, and all the running in between. I count down until Shabbat, and I get to let go of it all, and ponder how great my bed is. I took my kids to the park after synagogue, and saw many parents, and one of them told me her teenage boys were home sleeping. I was asking her when does that start to happen, because I would love to take a nap with my kids instead of run them all over town to get their energy out. She told me that her boys are just exhausted between school, school work, extracurricular activities, as well as a social life. Friday night and Shabbat are the only time they can just really rest, what a blessing!
BEYOND
I have figured out the best way to do Shabbat morning. Early Saturday my kids wake up, we are lucky if it is 7am, usually earlier. We all have breakfast together, and then play and relax until we start getting ready for shul. I help everyone get ready and send them off to synagogue before me, then I relax, take my time getting ready, and by the time I get there, my kids are busy playing, and I can quietly listen to the Torah and enjoy the weekly lesson.
Shavua Tov,
BE YOU!
Coach Yulia
