Meaning Behind The Meal

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“Why is this night different from all other nights?” This is a question that is asked by the youngest member of a Jewish family (or the American housecleaner…Me!) at the Passover Seder. On Passover, it’s considered the family duty to retell the story of the exodus out of Egypt when God “passed over” the homes of the Israelites during the last of the 10 plagues.

Each of the six items on the Seder plate have a specific meaning in regards to the story of Passover.

  1. Maror: These are the bitter herbs, meant to symbolize the harshness the Jews were treated with when they were slaves in Egypt. Red horseradish is often used for this.
  2. Charoset: This is a mixture of apples, wine, walnuts and cinnamon and is used to represent the bricks and mortar used by the Hebrews to build the pyramids.
  3. Karpas: A vegetable, often celery, is used to represent hope and renewal. The karpas is dipped in salt water before eaten to represent the tears of the Jews when they were slaves.
  4. Zeroah: The shank bone on the plate symbolizes the Pascal Lamb whose blood was painted on the doors of the Israelites so that God would pass over the homes during the 10th plague (slaying of the firstborn).
  5. Beitzah: The hardboiled egg represents the circle of life.
  6. Matzo: Three pieces of matzo are stacked on a separate plate. The middle matzo is broken and one half of it is put aside as the afikomen, which the father will hide and have the children search for in return for a prize (or the children hide it and have the father search in some homes). The other half of the broken matzo will be used to make a Hillel sandwich, which includes the maror and charoset.

I believe if you’re going to have people trust you to come into their homes and businesses, you need to respect their cultural traditions that make their lives “make sense” to them, along with giving them a connection with their family and friends of their cultural background. We can learn so much from each other if we would open our hearts first and then our minds.

Our minds are like parachutes, they mean nothing if they don’t open!

Peace ♥ Harmony

Cheryl XO

Freshen Up Friday

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As a former teacher, this would be something I would do with the students – use it as a science experiment along with a need in the classroom. How many you will need depends on the size of the classroom or your space.

This is not only pleasing to the eyes, but also to the nose! Easy way to freshen up the air in your home.

Another way to freshen up – small herb kitchen garden. This will get you ready for the Freshness of Spring.

Have a great weekend!

Peace ♥ Harmony

Cheryl XO

Happy Friday-Eve ♪ ♫ ♪

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Do something this coming weekend that will keep you moving forward on your journey to the Vision you have for your ______________. (You fill in the blank).

This weekend I am going to visit The Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury, CT to take pictures, maybe make a little video. It’s closed to the public for renovations but the surrounding area is beautiful and so New England.

My journey is: Improving my photography skills, I learned a few techniques and want to ~ Practice Practice Practice.

Peace ♥ Harmony

Cheryl XO

Author Bio

Cheryl Camacho is the Owner & Organizer of Lifestyle by Design, the Southeastern CT local lifestyle organizational service. Lifestyle by Design takes pride in providing outstanding small office Clean.Organize.Redesign services at affordable prices. LBD lifestyle services help home & work spaces transform into clean healthy spaces.

Wellness Wednesday

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I found these videos  when the world went into lockdown, I will be posting them weekly. Enjoy!

I have followed this videos tips and resources, here is how I put my wellness first:

I use the SLEEP CYCLE APP . . . it’s awesome!

I have been putting a glass of water by my bed since my early 20’s, the first thing I do before even putting my feet on the floor is take small sips of water – then I sit on the edge of my bed and do some sitting stretches and finish my 8oz glass of water. I will have to add this is a nice little trick when you have had too much to drink too! Just shouting that out . . . 🙂

If I want to look at my phone before bed, I have settings on my smartphone to gradual turns the screen darker as the sun goes down. I would rather read a book, it puts me in a better mindset to sleep rather than scrolling through nice or not so nice pictures.

Peace ♥ Harmoney

Cheryl XO

Author Bio

Cheryl Camacho is the Owner & Organizer of Lifestyle by Design, the Southeastern CT local lifestyle organizational service. Lifestyle by Design takes pride in providing outstanding small office cleaning services at affordable prices. LBD clean services help workplaces transform into clean healthy spaces.