This year we bought a new sukkah for the new house. We bought it from The Sukkah Project - our good buddies had tipped us off. The Sukkah Project was totally reasonable and the kit was awesome (and 100% kosher). But you can not put the sukkah up with one adult and two kids under 3... I put out a call to my village... you know the village that I am always talking about... and they answered. Seriously I just don't know how I got to be so lucky, but more than money, friends make you rich and great friends - well they just make you a millionaire!
My village arrived on Saturday. Builders, a cake, a buddy for Jonah, extra hands to corral the kids -they were all there. And it happened. Like a good old Amish barn raising ceremony, the sukkah emerged on our back patio: walls, door, roof and then we did what all good villagers do - we ate to ceremoniously mark the occasion - lots of PIZZA.
To say I am thankful for my friends' dedication is an understatement. To say I am jubilant over my enormous and fabulous sukkah is also an understatement. I had no idea that 8x12 was soooo big! But I love it!
And then out of the mouths of babes, after everyone left, after an exhausting afternoon, and Vera was taking her nap, I was given another little gift. Really, I am that lucky.
Jonah looked up at me at me as we were downstairs cleaning up a little, and he was holding some plastic fruit with metallic ribbons attached to them... and he said in the most earnest voice, "please mommy, now can we do the decorations?"
I almost cried. He is my son. I was really tired. I am still recovering from this crazy flu thing I got on Yom Kippur, but how could I refuse. We did them very very slowly. Piece by piece and item by item. I told him about each thing. And I hung it where he told me to. He handed me each thing. It was perfect.
I imagine some people have the same experience decorating Christmas Trees. I have been collecting these decorations for 12 years. Each one means something. Some years we lose some to weather or just wear and tear and most years we get new ones. It is a process. A little cycle of life for the sukkah decorations. I love it. I love that my Jonah loved his sukkah, but loved it more with decorations. It is sort of like life... you work hard to build a life. Make it sturdy. Give it walls. Make sure it has doors to let the good stuff in, and a roof to keep the bad stuff out. But you also need to "decorate" it with love, empathy, compassion, and lots of good energy, that's the point isn't it?
To create, beautify, enjoy, and love - those are blessings. My sukkah and my life have them all - Thank you universe for that.
To learn all about the holiday of sukkot and the sukkah (from the religious perspective) - see HERE.
Another side note: My camera is all "f"d up... so my pictures are all either over or under exposed... apologies in advance. View them through your own kaleidoscope and they should look much better.
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| Mommy, we can do it... give us a chance?!! |
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| the villagers raised the sukkah |
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| the kids played construction site... their idea... |
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| then Jonah and I added the decorations |
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