Florida

My first trip to the state of Florida was fantastic. But it had absolutely nothing to do with the state of Florida.

Don't get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoyed the pseudo-tropical feel of the palm-lined streets, walking along the most beautiful stretch of Atlantic Ocean I have ever seen, meandering through the art deco-themed streets of Lake Worth and the near-perfect weather.

No, it was the people who were most delightful. And I don't mean your average Joe walking down the street. (Not that there was anything wrong with Average Joe. By the way, are there any actual "native" Floridians living in Florida? It sounded to me like everyone was transplanted from New York.) No, the most delightful people in Florida are now a part of my family.

You see, the reason for the trip was quite significant. It was a celebration/wedding ceremony for my little brother, Seth, and sister-in-law, Kira, and a baby naming ceremony for my niece, Ella. This brought together the majority of my small family and a large contingent of Kira's. My parents flew in from Hawaii and my Aunt Vicki and I traveled south from Kansas City. Unfortunately, I couldn't afford to bring my kids, David and Samantha. Nonetheless, it was great to be in the same room with my mom, dad and brother for the first time in several years.

In stark contrast to my tiny little Christian family was Kira's large, Jewish family. Our hosts for the weekend were Kira's parents, Stephen and Lisa. Stephen is a rabbi whose personality can best be described as "gregarious" while Lisa is his more subtle and complementary wife. And while they have very opposite personalities, they both share a warm heart and hospitable spirit.

They not only welcomed us into their home, but allowed us to participate in several of their Jewish customs, which I found to be quite fascinating and enjoyable. We were witnesses to the wedding ceremony that Stephen presided over, shared a Shabbat meal and were invited to the temple for Ella's naming ceremony. The only other Jewish tradition I had been involved in was my buddy Alex Pearlstein's bar mitzvah and the only thing I really remember about that was that it was the first time I ever wore a pair of loafers.

Being a Christian myself, I was greatly interested in learning more about these Jewish customs and was especially pleased when Stephen involved everyone in the Seder dinner. He stopped to explain why we were doing what we were doing (to the dismay of some who have celebrated this meal every year and must have been weary of going through the program one more time) and involved everyone in the readings. I was highly impressed, not to mention stuffed to the gills.

And while all the traditional and formal things were wonderful, I probably enjoyed most of all the time I got to spend with Seth and Kira splashing around in the pool; staring at Ella much the same way one stares into a campfire, mesmerized; and talking in brief, frequently interrupted bursts with Kira's brother Seth about baseball (it's gotta hurt that the Royals have taken two in a row from the Yanks).

At the end of the trip Stephen and Lisa invited us to come back and visit and Seth Pinsky and I made loose plans to get me out to New York to visit and see a game at the Stadium and I definitely plan on doing both.

After all, they're family.