break fast

For as long as I can remember, I've fasted on Yom Kippur. No water, no food, nothing.

I no longer go to temple, but I still say prayers. — though my praying time is far shorter than those that attend synagogue.

Still, I do observe this Day of Atonement. I stay home most of the day, not doing much of anything. 

Whenever I'm meeting up with my NY-based family, I get anxious over what to wear. I have plenty of work clothes, and even sufficient dress clothes. But my wardrobe is weakest in the category of casual, but not jeans-casual. Just about everyone in my family is fashion forward (my brother-in-law and his family are in the business). So I know everyone else will be wearing the perfectly accessorized, understated outfit. In the end, I put on a pair of leather pants (the only pants I own aside from jeans) and a white Simone Rocha top. 

I leave for my sister's house in Long Island around 3:30, getting in a little after five.

By the time I arrive, many people are already there. Someone has proclaimed that it's now okay to break the fast. We are not a religious family.

Three of the "kids" are now married: Adam, Jason and Jessica. They have all chosen well — not only in their choice of spouses, but also in the families they come from.

This is the first year that Debra and Charles (Rachel's parents) have joined us, though it hardly feels that way. They are warm and engaging, and so easy to be with. I sit next to Charles and his genuine interest in film and my BAFTA involvement totally endears him to me.

Nina and Jay, Jessica's in-laws, are also present. And they too, feel like they've always been a part of the family.

In all, there are 15 of us, though another 11 or so are still missing. My family keeps expanding, and it makes our holidays that much more fun and interesting.

We are a very vocal family, and we don't always share the same point of view. But that's part of what makes getting together always so entertaining. And, there are some very witty, and very funny people among us.

It's a great night. Perfect except for the long, long ride home (so much traffic, even at 10 pm). Hewlett to NYC never felt so far.

(Oh, and why only a picture of a T-shirt? I decide to spare my family the agony of photographing them).