Our Love Story: Which Holiday Will We Celebrate?

Honey and I were about to battle years of tradition, culture and acceptance. I wondered if we would get stronger from this or if it would ultimately break us apart. How can two people brought up from the opposite ends of the world live a wonderful life? Was I being naive to think that because we had found each other and were in love that everything was going to be OK?

Call me a romantic, but I believe when people say that once you stop looking for that special someone then that special someone appears. I think, once you've done the work on yourself and have come to the right place in your life, you are open to sharing it with someone else.

When I was a little girl growing up in Thornhill Ontario to Jewish English parents and you had told me that my Honey was going to be an Indian, Hindu man seven years my junior, born near Bangalore, India and then raised in Marin, California I would have never believed you. But every time Honey and I were together, we would connect, be happy and laugh. We had wonderful banter and a deep trust.

Now that Honey and I were together, I started thinking about the reality of what it all meant. My religion had always meant a lot to me. I had never considered myself religious, but had loved the tradition and sense of family that religion brought. The neighborhood that I grew up in was 90% Jewish, I was a camp counselor at a Jewish day camp, had a Bat Mitzvah and celebrated the high holidays. Honey was brought up with a traditional upbringing along with a tight community of Hindu friends and family. It was rare that a non-Indian entered into his community.

How would the Canadian girl and Marin guy mesh our two worlds together?

I remember seeing in my Honey's apartment a photo of Ganesha placed on a silver patter ready to offer goods to the gods for good luck. Could my menorah or mezuzah
still be put in my home along with his gods? How would Honey and I spend the holidays. Yes, our life was a little different from other couples, but we loved each other. I asked myself 'Was I prepared to give up my Jewish identity? Would he ever ask me to?' Honey accepted me as I was, just as I accepted him.

Everything seemed to fall into place like pieces to a puzzle.

We did live in the right city for acceptance. Although when we traveled to other cities, we were reminded that not everyone was as accepting of us. We hardly noticed if someone looked at us that way as we only had eyes for one another. I did however get some strange looks from some Indian women. Once they realized that we were together and not just friends we seemed to get looks.

All I knew was how happy I was. Our future looked so bright. I was even more excited when Honey suggested that I come along with him on a business trip to Denver. It was January and Denver had been getting so much snow that year that their airport was sometimes closed. I wasn't working full time yet and I had the time to spare. Should I go away with my new boyfriend? What was it like the first time you traveled with your Honey?