A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Thousand-Six-Hundred-And-Thirty-Two

Melissa is Greek Orthodox and by the calander of her faith, today (well, technically it is yesterday by this time) is Easter.  We often celebrate this together by having a festive meal, usually including my family.  This started when my father was still alive with large meals at one or another Greek restaurant in the area.  This year, we decided to cook the feast at home.  We have done this once before, and it was a lot of work then, and it did not go entirely smoothly, but we felt prepared to do it this time, having learned from out previous experience (which was still not a total disaster or anything).  As well, we were able to invite some other members of my family who Melissa has grown close with.  This is my cousin, her husband and their daughters.  They moved about an hour or so away from us years ago and we have often joined them at there home for holidays and celebrations.  Her husband is a doctor and is often on call, so he hasn't been able to come visit us, so this was our first chance to reciprocate their hospitality.  There was another small hiccup: the thermometer we used on the meat read it as done way too early, but we had plenty of other foods to enjoy while it finished cooking, and I think everyone enjoyed it.  It was a lot of work both for me and for Melissa, but it was worth it, I think, especially as an opportunity to share in something that is important to Melissa.  So many times, she is part of my family's traditions and observations.  This was a chance to share something meaningful to her.

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