A number of months ago, Eli's, the bodega across Second Avenue from my apartment building, went out of business. Although I didn't go in often, I did use the ATM from time to time and when I was working crazy hours on "chicken, fish, or veggie," I often would stop in on my way to the office to pick up an egg and cheese sandwich. It was the ultimate comfort food during those long, stressful (and oh-so rewarding) weeks leading up to the Biennials of long ago.
The other day, when I got off the bus in front of what had been Eli's, I noticed that the store's sign had been removed, exposing a sign from a previous business:
It's so interesting to peel back the layers and examine what lies underneath -- in places, in things, and, most especially, in people.
Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this post is one in a series marking the days of the Jewish month of Nisan leading up to Passover, which begins at sundown on Friday, April 22, corresponding to 15 Nisan. If you want to play along, check out this year's #BlogExodus and #ExodusGram prompts. Once again, this series of posts also is priming my heart, mind, and spirit to participate in Beyond Walls: Spiritual Writing at Kenyon, a six-day summer writing seminar that is an initiative of the Kenyon Institute at Kenyon College in Gambier, OH.