Legacy of the Dreams

Chapter 66 - The Seder

Susan, Julie and the entire family put so much planning into the Seder Supper they planned to host, by the time guests began to arrive on Thursday evening, everything was ready to the point that they anticipated the dinner would go very well. Everyone was appropriately dressed right on time, with the men wearing suits and dresses for the women. Even the children were dressed in special attire and were ready before the supper was set to begin.

The table was set according to Greg and Julie's specifications. The Seder plate was prepared, the dishes of salt water were on the table, and the foods for the various courses were resting in the cottage kitchen or in the oven keeping warm, already in serving bowls ready to be presented.

Wearing his gray suit and yarmulke, Greg answered the cottage front door when the first of their guests rang the bell.

"Welcome John, Karen, all of you." Greg grinned when he saw them standing on the walk that wound through the forest.

"Hello, Greg. Happy Passover," John Wilson answered for them all. "Thank you for inviting us."

"Come on in," Greg invited.

He stood aside as John and Karen entered. John held Peter by the hand while Karen carried six-month-old Payton in her arms.

"Oh my, John. Look at all this," Karen exclaimed as she stepped into the great room of the cottage and found the area nearest the fireplace occupied by a large, U-shaped table.

While the colors were festive, several of the serving dishes used on the table made it clear this was a distinctly Jewish occasion.

"Based on what you described during the service on Palm Sunday, this does look traditional for a Seder supper," John remarked, looking questioningly at Greg.

"Very much so," Greg told them. "There are several versions of the Seder observed, however for us this is traditional. Please, make yourselves comfortable. Karen, Susan and the other ladies are still in the kitchen. As you can see, Melody and Olivia are playing at the other end of the room."

"Can I play with them, Mummy?" Peter asked.

"Yes. Don't get dirty," Karen warned. "We're participating in a very special dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Abernathy and their family this evening."

"Okay," Peter said and he headed toward where Melody was playing with Olivia nearby.

"Hi Karen. Welcome," Susan said as she came around the corner from the kitchen with a bowl of something in her hands.

"Hi," Karen said with a smile. "What is that?"

"I suppose you'd call it a sort of salad. They call it haroset. This one is made from apples and almonds. It's a traditional first course of the Seder meal," Susan said as she set it on one of the tables.

Greg and John watched Karen follow Susan to the kitchen while they talked.

"The arrangement of the table is fascinating, Greg," John told him. "I know you talked about the traditional elements of the Seder table last Sunday, but to see it laid like this, not just a sample place setting but prepared for an actual meal for a family, is very interesting."

He'd no sooner said that when Julie came from the kitchen carrying the Seder plate. She set it down atop one of the plates beside the lead place setting and John looked at it curiously.

"The dish for Elijah?" he wondered.

"In part. There is also the bread and wine," Greg said.

Matzah was already set out on the second extra plate and Cindy was in the process of filling the wine glasses on the table. She carefully skipped several glasses along one side, filling them with grape juice instead. The extra goblet beside the Seder plate she filled with wine.