"Let Your House Be Wide Open" (E. Alexander)

A timely and poignant reflection by poet Elizabeth Alexander: "A few weeks ago, I attended an Eritrean Orthodox Christian and American Orthodox Jewish wedding in New York. The Eritreans came from all over the globe, where war and conflict had scattered them over the past two generations, and from all over the country.

"The Eritrean women came in their traditional white dresses and shawls called netsela; the men were elegant and grave in their dark Western suits. The wine glass was smashed; the Jewish family linked arms and danced in a circle; the Eritreans danced a circle dance called the kuda. The Jewish men hoisted the bride high on a chair; the Eritreans ululated in the temple.

"It was a complex, beautiful day. Centuries of tradition came together. The bride and groom could meet in America because war had scattered African families as the Holocaust had scattered Jewish families, and all made themselves anew in their new space."

And this: "I offer this story to ask, will we build homes with open sides that welcome wayfarers into our lives?"

Read the whole piece, worthy of your summer time: https://nyti.ms/2JHupOy