Last night, we went through the first Passover Seder. For me, this always brings back memories of my youth. When I grew up, my parents were very good friends with another couple who had kids who were literally the same age as my two sisters and I. We didn't have anyone else in Montreal with whom we could spend the Seders, and neither did they. So, it was only natural that we would spend them together, the first one traditionally at their house and the second at ours. Those Seders were inevitably long, loud and a lot of fun. There was laughter and enough food to feed a small army. Given that we were in Montreal, and that the Canadiens were (back in those days) a lock for the playoffs, there would also be inevitable "bathroom trips" which involved a stop by the television so that we could check the scores of the playoff games. There would be the order for me and my equal to sing "Mah Nishtanah", which boh of us always unsuccessfully resisted. The search for the Afikoman would conclude the night, an invetibly chaotic and fun-filled search (except for one year where my father hid it so successfully that we couldn't find it. He couldn't remember where he put it, so it remained hidden for 2 1/2 years, when we found it while moving some boxes).
Of course, time passed, and a year or two occurred where these Seder get-togethers did not happen. The kids all got older and life sometimes became too hectic. The oldest kids got married, others went away to college, and eventually, even the youngest "flew the coop". As well, the kids starting having kids of their own, so the Seders evolved into family only events due to the size of the groups. As well, my mother passed away in early 1994, cutting one of the main links between the two families.
Still, as I sat at the Seder table last night, I couldn't help but think back to those Seders of my youth, and smile as I did so..............
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