I wish I'd brought my cookies into work where I clearly need them rather than leaving them in my kitchen where they "belong".

I read an article years ago about the few Jews remaining in Poland. One of the men didn't believe anything at all religiously, but would attend prayers so the other men could make their minyan. That has always stuck with me.

Poland has been having a weird sort of "Jewish Revival" lately. There have been a lot of young Poles (who seem to be roughly the Polish equivalent of hipsters) getting really interested in Jewish history, and organizing Jewish cultural festivals with Jewish music and Jewish food and Jewish dancing and stuff, but almost no actual Jews involved. Many of them seem to be really sincere in appreciating this stuff, but don't seem to think that they have any reason or need to involve any actual Jews in any of it. They see it as a lost piece of history, basically. Some of them will talk about how their grandmother once told them that they had some secret Jewish ancestry. It kind of reminds me of the way white Americans sometimes treat Native American stuff. The American Jewish press has not really been sure what to make of this, other than publishing, "This is really odd, and we don't understand it, and huh? And why?" articles every so often.

They see it as a lost piece of history, basically.

Oh, Young Poles, no.

Oh man, catching up this morning has been great. -t, I would love to see some of those wedding photos. It sounds like a wonderful sort of inclusion, in your family.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist home, Dad was a deacon, Mom sang in the choir, we were in church anytime the doors were open. As a teenager, on my own, in a provincial southern town, I researched Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and gradually eased away from scheduled church-going as soon as I moved into the college dorm. I did attend services with my Catholic roommate, and Espiscopalian and Lutheran friends, as well as the local Moravian services, and had long conversations with my Jewish friends* (I'll always be grateful for their patience and indulgence), but nothing really stuck.

I wound up marrying a former Byzantine Catholic, former boys' choir member and altar boy, schooled by nuns and disaffected, and distanced, like me, by dorm living, from attendance other than family decreed. Both sets of parents were convinced we were going to hell, but my folks thought the kids would probably be okay, since we sent them to Sunday School, at least for a while, though his folks were deeply aghast.

H drifted into secular Humanism, I explored Native American spirituality, Celtic paganism, Druidism, Buddhism. Despite my present deist-free philosophy, elements of Southern Baptist upbringing are never entirely shed. Most thoughts, ideas, and concepts are first-filtered through that Protestant POV. I'm still working on that.

*ETA: Performing arts school, high school and college students from a broad spectrum of backgrounds, one I'd never have found elsewhere, and for which I have been utterly grateful.

I grew up Methodist, but more because that was the closest Protestant church to where we lived than anything else, I think. Mother had a horror of non-Protestants. I was in the choir, attended every week, attended and taught Vacation Bible School--and dated the preacher of the local church when I was in college just before he was transferred, though that wasn't part of the standard church going experience and I don't remember what my mother thought about it.

I dallied with Catholicism in college, but more from historical interest than anything, and it was so different from Methodism. Church on Friday or Saturday? You had choices, and could sleep in on Sunday? Wow!

I've gone fairly pagan/freeform, but after a lifetime's contemplation, I'm good with where I am in relation to the eternal.

I'm exhausted and a yappy dog is trying to pull me into a meeting I don't want to be in. There's only so many times I can clarify to you that what you are doing isn't going to work, yappy, and I have bigger fires to attend to.

Also, I need a nap before I can have an actual conversation with anyone right now.

I was raised agnostic, because Mom wasn't religious, and Dad stormed away from the Catholic church. He'd been raised very Catholic, but it didn't really stick, and when the priest of his church informed him that they would his annul his (first, horrible) marriage in return for a large donation, he quit religion. By standing on the steps of the church declaiming about the priest's behavior, the lack of charity and kindness, and something about "sooner blood from a stone".

Needless to say, I get my dramatic side from Dad.

Beer and a nap! Beer and a nap! Woohoo!

Although in my case, Mrs. Finnegan is calling for lunch.

That's awesome, Jilli.

They see it as a lost piece of history, basically.

Because it is. Many moons ago while backpacking in Europe I wound up explaining to some new German friends Kosher food. Not how it works, but that it exists. They knew absolutely nothing about Jews and Judaism - and there was no reason they would. The certainly felt pain over what their grandparents generation had done, but they knew nothing about who and what had been destroyed.

On the balance I think its better that they know.