Interfaith Dinner

I was very nervous at first to enter the room where the dinner was to be held. First I was running late as usual and felt so ashamed to walk in late while everyone else was on time (I blame
Abdul but lets keep it our secret). We saw a table with name tags and we were in the process of wearing them, when we were approached by a women from the church who welcomed us with such a warm smile. For some reason my anxiety disappeared and I felt a sense of comfort right away. We sat at a table with Dr. Horowitz daughter and another lady who was a member of the church. I have to say I never met such an intelligent young girl in my life and the whole time I was talking to her I forgot she was half my age. I saw many people I had already knew through the Islamic community and it was nice seeing them since it had been awhile since the last time I saw them. While finishing up my dinner a female member of the church stood up and began speaking about what food meant to her and her family and the process of preparation. She spoke on the passion she had now for preparing a meal from scratch and enjoying every minute of it and every piece of item that went into making that dish. She also shared the enjoyment of preparing a meal with friends while just sitting around and having the pleasure of talking and laughing and having a good time. It really reminded me of being back home and some what here when it came to preparing food. Back home many of my family members live near one another so at meal times it was not out of the ordinary for them to get together and prepare the meal together. Time is spent enjoying each others company and stories. Its a time were you actually could get everyone to sit together and make time to be a part of each other lives and catch up one what the other was doing. Here in the states the same goes once in awhile but more often during an event or occasion such as a wedding, death or hosted dinner. She brought back really great memories.

I also had the pleasure to meet the church's pastor ( I hope that is the correct term) which was a female and enjoyed having a conversation with her about her job and the what she endures as a female in the position she is in. She was so kind and thoughtful in answering all of my questions with a wide beautiful smile on her face. We also had the pleasure to be entertained by her beautiful music and voice.

I have to say the evening was amazing and well worth it. I would love to do another one of these dinners. I had the pleasure of meeting new people from different ethnicities and religion who had a profound sense of respect towards one another. Thank you Dr. Horowitz for allowing us this pleasure.