Chag Sameach! (Happy Passover!)

At 10 p.m.- about 24 hours before the start of Pesach- Esther began violent vomiting. Like clockwork, every 2-3 hours until 5 a.m., she began another episode of hugging and filling the trashcan. Of course, desperate calls for "Mommie" preceded each episode. Somewhere around 3 a.m. I gave up and spent the rest of the night in Esther's room with her. We had a Pesach guest from Great Falls, trying to sleep in the next bedroom. Thankfully it takes 2 to 3 days to incubate a flu virus before symptoms appear. The next day included cooking from scratch 4 large kettles of chicken-matzoh ball soup, table set-up for 65 seder attendees, cooking broccoli and assembling the appetizer plates, organizing the hand-washing and desert areas, music and overheads, etc. I was so grateful for the help of several women the day before, including Jeanne, when we prepared the charoset (chopped apples/nuts & honey, cinnamon & wine mixture) and the potatoe knishes. Then God sent great support before and after the seder service and meal, as well. The 5766 seder lasted four hours, but will be remembered as a success. PTL! The next day as we slipped into the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread, Louis & I finished the clean-up, sorting and packing away of Pesach items along with a tinge of nausea. Yesterday, we awoke with full-blown symtoms. Nausea and bouts of diarrhea led to a low-key day, so I was once again so thankful that Sherry was accompanying Esther to her next portion of the GED exam. (Thanks, Sherry, for following through with this when you also were exhausted.) Chag Sameach!