Right Here, Right Now

Sukkot is one of my favorite holidays.
While it is part of the craziness of the Jewish High Holiday season,
it holds a special place in my heart.
I've never been able to pinpoint exactly why -
I'm not particularly outdoorsy,
but I'll tell you I do HATE flies in my food.
building a sukkah is not easy,
and the roof always falls in,
and the decorations always get rained on.

But this year, amidst all the difficult life adjustments going on for us lately,
I think I've got it.
Rosh HaShanah is about thinking about the way things have been, about how we've behaved over the past year.
Yom Kippur is about thinking about how we want things to be, about how we want to make amends and become better people.  

After the intensity of those ten days, about fretting over who we were and who we want to be, comes blessed Sukkot.

Sukkot is about how things are.

Right here, right now.

Our only tasks are to build a sukkah,

and then to be inside of it for seven days.

That's it.  Just to be there. 

And that being in the here and the now has felt so healing to me this year.
Sukkot sends the message:  things may been good, things may be bad, things may be easy, things may be difficult, you may be smiling, you may be in tears, or you may be both in the same hour.  You may have had a really hard year so far and you may not know what the future holds for you.  And for now, for these seven (eight) days,

your task is to be inside of whatever is going on. 

To sit there and to experience it.

So, from the Kopans sukkah, I present to you:

 "Right Here, Right Now."

Right here, right now....

my baby is licking a pumpkin.

Right here, right now....

the Kansas winds have blown our schach in five times.

Right here, right now....

the boys are entertaining themselves with my iPod.  Outside.  At 7 AM.

Right here, right now....

my children are doing zero decorating at the shul's Sukkah decorating party.

Right here, right now....

Rami will only paint without his diaper on.

Right here, right now....

Asher is taking his nap outside.  At 5:26 PM.

Right here, right now....

Rami has only had honey cake to eat all day long.

Right here, right now...

Asher is *ahem* repurposing corn stalks from the sukkah roof as He-Man power swords.

Right here, right now....

we are making kiddush in our pajamas.

Right here, right now....

Rami would rather play with toy knights than learn to shake the lulav.

Right here, right now....

my children are happy and healthy and beautiful.

my family is together.

my husband is awesome.

And I am reminding myself, moment by moment,

 to be here for all of it.



A Visit to Gram's House

After I wrote this blog post, I started to feel all sentimental.

I realized that Rami, having been born in Ohio, had never been to Gram's house.

Nesi had never been to Gram's house, but, more ridiculous yet, she had never even met Gram.

Something deep inside me just wanted my kids to be there.

Wanted them to hug Gram.

Wanted them to pound up the back steps onto the latticed porch to grab a fast snuggle...

...or just stay there and chat for awhile.

Wanted them to tromp down the same blacktop driveway and dash through the same yard that I did as a little child.

Wanted them to rough house in her living room.

Wanted them to inhale the sharp scent of her tomato plants and pick the prettiest ones just for her, even if they are green.

Wanted them to pose for family photos in the tiny kitchen....

....and squeeze in next to her to grab a bite at the table.

Wanted them to experience her incredible story-reading...

....to listen to her re-tell the stories behind family photographs....

(When Gram pulled out the lefthand middle photo, she said, "Now, here's 'sexy me.'"  Sexy, indeed.)

...and to hear her say, over and over, "You are the best."

So the incredible Auntie Al and I schlepped all three ducklings from Kansas City

through Chicago 

and on to Wilkes-Barre

and back again

Whew!
(And we thought last year's trip to Wisconsin was exhausting!)

It was 100%, completely and totally worth it.


Can't wait for next time, Gram.
("I'll say!"  "And how!" Gram would reply.)


We love you so very, very much.  Thanks for having us. 

Shabbat Video Update, Episode 8 - Auntie Al is Here

About Shabbat Video Updates: Many of our readers (namely the Ohio State folks) got their weekly Kopans kids fix on Shabbat at Hillel. We're going to make that fix easy for you to continue to get each and every week, move to Kansas City be damned. Shabbat Shalom Umevorach from the Kopans bayit to you!


This week:  Auntie Al is visiting.  And we are so, so happy.