What to write?

I have been struggling of late....with a lot of stuff, and it has manifested in a long break from the Sephardic Table. It's certainly not for lack of desire, or from lack of material. Believe me, there is, as usual, so much going on. My אבא (father) used to say that we were jumping, jumping, always jumping. He insisted that we slow down; that we we going to make ourselves crazy. He was somewhat right, we are always running in a million directions, and now with eight in our home and the older kids moving solidly into teenagerdom - with all of its work and social obligations - the treadmill seems to be set to eleven.. Thankfully, though, we have not yet gone crazy (despite what our kids might say on occasion).

So? What's the problem?

Well, the most basic one is that cooking and taking pictures and writing about it all takes time, especially if you want to do it well, which I do. Juggling it all is fun. Working another flaming sword into the rotation of flying objects we're keeping up in the air is proving difficult, no matter how much I want to make his work. Discipline is something I have to work at and I'm not doing so well. I found this post at the blog expertenough.com, and it sparked this article, so maybe I'm on my way.

The bigger issue is privacy. I don't want to embarrass anyone or say something that someone else will regret. Not only is this a personal issue, but the Torah forbids "lashon harah," which in simple terms means gossip. That means that whether something is true or false, big or small, positive or negative, it's essentially off the table if its about a specific person, unless of course the reader, to avoid loss and danger, must have that information.

No one wants to read a blog where everything is perfect. At least I don't. I want to develop a relationship with the writer because in that relationship is where I will learn and grow. The Sephardic Table is supposed to get to the heart of out family, and though so very often that heart beats with joy and pride, there are times where it is heavy or broken.

So, you see, I'm a bit stuck. My baby's not sleeping. My mother and sister moved away. My daughter is leaving the country. My sons want to follow. Someone close to me is ill. It goes on and on. There really is so much I need and want to say. I'm simply struggling with where and how. 

I hope you will all understand. More wonderful recipes will follow. We experimented for EliNoam's bar mitzvah menu and the food was wonderful. We'll have those up soon. In the summer we try to eat on the deck every night possible, and the grill is a great place to experiment with Middle Eastern flavors, so look for those too. In the meantime, please be patient with me. Good things to read and eat  are on their way.