David loves honey. Loves, loves, loves it. So a holiday where bowls of honey are placed in front of you for your dipping pleasure? Whoohoo! We started Friday afternoon with four random neighbor children, our four, and apples and honey at my sister's house. Double dipping pshaw! You know, you can get five dips off one slice of apple. David came home with honey past his elbows.

Then our kids got very into setting the table. They agreed on the cheap ugly white and gold cloth that doesn't cover the table, fought over how far it should dip over each side, and were amazed by our very own apples and honey plate. I know Alton Brown trashes unitaskers in the kitchen, but I love having this beautiful green glass dish with an apple on it that we only use two nights of the year. My friend Lauren gave it to me, a friend I've lost touch with. So, it holds not just the New Year for me but my time in Boston and intense aikido practice and those long lovely lunches with the aikido crowd.

This year I went to services with my friend Michelle at the Secular Jewish Circle. Remember when the term "secular humanist" was thrown around like a pejorative? Not to worry, they like to schmooze and nosh as much as anybody. I found the service both liberating and lacking. By eliminating all references to God and Israel from the prayers, they've had to think really hard about what the prayers mean, and they sometimes ended up stating them more beautifully and powerfully than the originals. I was particularly moved the V'ahavta. That's the one about you will write it on your doorposts. I never pay attention to the words in it, probably because I'm usually chanting it in Hebrew. This time I took in its essence. By the same token because chanting the prayers and singing the songs is such an important part of the ritual for me, having them changed kicked me out of the groove. There may be something else going on here, or I'm just hypocritical, because at the children's service on Saturday when the rabbi called God Alveeno Malcheinu (our father our king) and then said God can also be called our mother, our queen and proceeded to divvy the prayers equally, I got tears in my eyes.

We had a complicated plan for Saturday involving David not going to children's services because a month ago, when I suggested going to synagogue, he adamantly refused. But he wanted to go and he kept wanting to go and he kept wanting to go. He picked out his own outfit: black dress shoes, white socks with cars on them, blue dress pants, black belt (I steered him away from the glittery pink one), blue striped button up shirt, red clip on tie, black and gold velvet vest from Grandpa Jere and Barb's travels, with the matching hat that looked remarkably like a fancy kippot, blue dress coat. Did I mention David loves to dress up? When he saw me picking out earrings, he wanted to add all the plastic necklaces, his sister has passed down to him. I dissuaded him. He was one of the best dressed boys there.

And, he participated. I know, you are all in as much shock as I am. I even packed three books about cars assuming that at the last minute the crowds would freak him out, and we'd be in the foyer. Instead, he left me in my seat and followed his sister down the center aisle. I had to peak around several people in order to see him sitting respectfully and even raising his hand when the rabbi asked who had a birthday this year. He was listening. For the first time in several years, I got to appreciate the service.

We kept it going and went to the tashlicht service at Mathew's beach. The kids played in the sand. I, again, got to participate. For Taschlict, you think of something about yourself you are unhappy with or would like to change and throw a piece of bread in the water to symbolize throwing it away. Rose said hers didn't work because she thought about being mean to her little brother, and she was immediately mean to him again in the car. But, today she said, "I'm going to let David go first all the way to Kayra's house because I'm a good big sister," and that is the nicest thing she's said in a long time.

A sweet and happy new year to you and yours.