HOW WE DRESSED

Our former across-the-street neighbor, Ann Doyle, said we looked like a Norman Rockwell painting. That was in the 1990s, when my husband and I, with our three children in tow, walked by their house, all dressed up on our way to the synagogue for the High Holidays. The closest I could come to a photograph of that scene is a somewhat fuzzy picture of our family dressed up for a cousin’s 2005 wedding.

Last year on the High Holidays, a gentleman driving by on the main thoroughfare slowed down. Rolling down his window, he shouted a compliment to my husband in his stylish blue double breasted seersucker suit and me in my pink dress and hat, saying that we looked beautiful as we walked along holding hands. That kind gesture set the tone for the hours we would spend in synagogue, praying for a good year.

I was thinking a lot about that as the holidays approached this year. What will we wear? How will our children dress our grandchildren? Will the girls wear the new dresses we bought for them? Will the boys look sharp in their new duds? I couldn’t wait to hear all about it.

The thought brought me back to my childhood and the memories of getting new clothes and shoes for the holidays. Then, while reading a newspaper article, one line especially hit me. Tilman stated, “Taking the time to dress for the holiday elevates our celebration to a higher level…”

That timely article gave me pause as I thought back to my blog post written during the pandemic at Perfume and Zoom, dated May 12, 2020, at sharonmarkcohen.com. Take a look back. I think you’ll see the connection and enjoy it.

PERFUME AND ZOOM — Sharon Mark Cohen, MPA, UN Representative for IHAN