Celebrating Kiddush, Appreciating Diversity, and Gratitude for Our Amazing Guests!

Last week we celebrated Kiddush, a wonderful Jewish tradition with our guests from Isreal!   We were so blessed to have this wonderful couple, Keren and Tal visit us and show us such kindness and love.   They were celebrating their honeymoon with us in our romantic setting that is also infused with nature.

We are so full of gratitude every day here at Casitas Del Rio Riverfront Lodge;  www.junglebeachvacation.com   Our gratitude comes from our deep connection to nature and our drive to share the beauty we have created with our guests.   But, our gratitude also comes from the privilege to meet so many amazing people from all over the world!    Last week, we were deeply touched by the kindness of our guests and it re-kindled our faith in humanity and the importance of kindness to each other in our modern world.

Tal and Keren were so enthusiastic about our lush tropical gardens, the river, and all the exotic birds and animals that frequent our edible landscapes.    After a lively discussion at breakfast, they invited us to share the Kiddush with them on Friday night.    We glady accepted as we love learning new cultures, celebrations, and traditions.     We did not know anything about the Jewish Kiddush.    Our new friends warmly educated about the Jewish tradition.   We learned and appreciated the following:

They prepared a handmade delicious dinner for us!   Wow, how kind of them to take the time out of their special honeymoon to share time and fellowship with us!   They even shared the Hamotzi, the blessing, before the Shabbat dinner and its meaning in English.  We now have a deep appreciation for the Shabbat and the Kiddush that opens it.   The importance of the sanctity to set aside a day when we are not merely working to live – but truly living!

An Important Lesson we took from the experience:

The importance of pausing
In the race of our busy lives, it is easy to lose ourselves.
Kiddush on Friday night reminds us to stop, slow down, and realign.
It is a moment of inner recalibration – to bring ourselves back to center, to family, to quiet.
Not only physical, but also emotional and spiritual.

Thank you to Tal and Keren, who have touched us deeply, broadened our scope of humanity, and enriched our lives.  It is our hope that this story may serve as a reminder to all of us to take time to share with others, be kind to others, embrace diversity, find gratitude, and take time to pause and realign.

Chris and Kristen, owners.