Chording To Meg

Being the second day of spring, the Passover just around the corner, all I see is white in my window. Mind you; I live in Harlem. Whether you are Jewish but not feeling it, or you aren't Jewish at all but want to feel Jew-ish, there are ways you can feel more Jewish without guilt or doing anything involving clearing out bread from your kitchen cabinets. Here is my personal "FOUR ANSWERS" (playlist) for the week anticipating Passover! No. 1 Alberto Mizrahi Trio Globo "Dayenu" featuring Howard Levy, Eugene Friesen, and Glen Velez (YouTube) No. 2 Pharaoh's Daughter  "Taitsch" (Exodus)  (YouTube) No. 3 NPO Trio "Exodus and Emancipation" from NPO Trio Live at The Stone  (Bandcamp)  No. 4 Louis Armstrong "Go Down Moses"  (YouTube)

My 5-year old said, "Did you know that Beth and Laura in my class speak Chinese?" "That's impressive!!" I said excitedly. "Not really. Their moms must speak Chinese." "Oh. Have you heard them speak Chinese?" I asked. "No. but their moms totally look Chinese." Okay. "They do, huh?" "Yes, totally!!" So I ask  "Do I look Chinese?" "No" "So what do I do look like?" She looks at me and says "You just look like a plain old person." "Plain old person?" I said and gave her the tightest hug I could ever give. This was a very special moment for us as a mother and daughter. Until this moment, she had always looked at me as "the other"- the opposite of the "plain old person". Even before she could speak, she often compared my pale skin with her beautiful mocha complexion. And as soon as she learned to speak a few words,  "Me, Daddy brown. Mommy, wh...