What do Pesach, socks, and Mashiach have in common?...

Yes I'll admit it has been pretty dead on this sliver of the internet lately but getting ready for a wedding and Pesach in the same month demands some serious prioritization....that and kissing your regular sleep patterns goodbye.

All in all we survived the chaos and actually managed to pull off a pretty good wedding I think. My neat freakness is settling down a little more now that we have *most* of the boxes organized again and put away. It was touch and go last Monday as we began to wade through the worst of the post wedding array that got hastily shoved into this or that box in the frenzy to clear out of the hall at a semi decent hour, get the last bit of Pesach cleaning done, and table laid. Baruch HaShem I am not sure how we managed it but we we're sitting down at evening with time to spare!

As crazy as Pesach is at times though I think it's one of my favourite times of the year. Maybe becasue all the cleaning and preparations build the expectation more or maybe because my simplicity is naturally attracted to the practical elements of the cleaning and the getting rid of the chametz. Or maybe just because I genuinely like cleaning....though I try not to be too obsessive ;).

I don't know if your mum made you do this or not but we were always made to clean our drawers on a regular basis growing up. It always amazed me how much room I had after I was done neatly folding and organizing them....it really was great!...for all of about a week until you lazily fell back into the old way of shoving things in, pushing them down and quickly pushing the drawer closed like you were trying to keep the jack in the box that lived in there from popping out at an inopportune time.

It just seems to be that over time things can pile up or get put in the wrong place. We even begin to collect things we shouldn't or hide things that we ought not to be holding on to. Pesach is the chance to get that fresh start. Reorganizing and prioritizing...tossing those socks that don't have a match, mending the things that need repaired and getting rid of the things that for *whatever* reason crept in over the year. Maybe what I believe on this or that is valid but I've allowed it to dominate my focus too much and draw me away from the weighty matters. Maybe I am holding on to ideas that have no basis and need to be thrown out. Maybe I need to evaluate the company I keep, the way I spend my time etc.

Everything needs a little freshening up now and then whether it be a good cleaning or the odd calibration we need the times to reorient ourselves on the narrow way and make sure that we keep Messiah at the centre of that walk. Remembering our redemption, the cost, and the fact that the most Holy One of Israel cares so much about having a personal relationship with us that He would humble Himself to such a state! The require-er of the penalty took the penalty Himself. Whoa if that is not mind bending I am not sure what is!...Just a little cleaning tip - if you only put one thing back in the drawer make sure it's that one right there!

Chag sameach and lila tov