Our Passover story

It's not quite like being lost in the desert for 40 years, but traveling to Jo'burg with two little ones is a challenge none-the-less. Unlike those Israelites, we have the luxury of being able to plan the trip, but when things don't go according to plan it can feel as if the parted waters are closing in.

With flights scheduled around sleep times and a car booked according to the size of its boot, we headed to Jo'burg for Passover. It was Baby M's first time out of Durbs and we knew she would be just fine. Son, on the other hand, well he is such an inquisitive ball of energy, flying with him has never been a breeze. Surprisingly, his behaviour was excellent and if not quite a breeze, perhaps a light gust.

Problems arose when the car hire place didn't have our car seat waiting. The 20 minutes it takes to sign all the documentation is difficult enough for the parent managing the children during that time, but 2 hours? When we are told it would arrive in a minute? I had to breastfeed Baby in the parking garage, Son had to stop himself from destroying everything in the car out of sheer exhaustion and Robbie had to explain to the supervisor that if they didn't have a seat for us they better negotiate with another dealership to rent one of theirs. Eventually, just as I was storming back into the rental bastards ready to implode, a suitable seat arrived.

Based on previous trips to my home town I imagined we'd be hectic non-stop all over the place from then till we returned the car four days later. That wasn't the case. Each day had manageable outings but most of the time was spent at my parents beautiful home with my most special people, lots of delicious food, love and music.

Both Son and Baby M slept through the seders (Pesach meals). So while they never quite heard the story of Passover, as is the main tradition, and Son didn't get to perform all his songs, at the centre of it all is family, and that they certainly got.

The cold weather threatened to plague us all with sickness. Our first born even caught a nasty cough and runny nose for half a day. But thankfully his immune system prevailed and it passed over.

Cheesy Pesach analogy aside, as we remember how the Jewish people were physically and politically freed way back in our history, may we all in the present day work to free ourselves from enslavement by any negative forces in our lives (and from such terribly long sentences).

Chag Pesach Kasher Vesame'ach

May we witness miracles in our times!

Below, a cute video that's been making the rounds..