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SUSIE’S RELATIONSHIP 30-DAY CHALLENGE

We’re as Different as Our Religions, But We Work

Neither Ed nor my religion has taken a front-row seat.

Karen Schwartz
2 min readApr 3, 2023

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Nicole Michalou on Pexels

Prompt: What is the importance of religion/spirituality in your relationship?

When I first met Ed, he found me to be an anomaly. I don’t think many Jewish folks were around when Ed was growing up, so that might explain it. Whenever I’d tell people I was a Jew, Ed would chastise me for putting myself down. I tried explaining that “Jew” wasn’t a derogatory term, but in his circles, people must have used the word to tear people down. Fortunately, he was respectful but loved a good Jewish joke as long as it wasn’t at my expense.

Ed was raised Catholic. Although he used to attend church services, when I met him, he hadn’t been in years and didn’t intend to start. So, when Ed moved in, our home became a non-denominational zone. There were few symbols of either religion, only traditions we followed, to the delight of both of us. Over the years, I’ve focused on making Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving home-cooked dinners. This is a special occasion since our meals are usually fast fried or bought.

I predominantly follow my religion with my family. While in the beginning, Ed missed my family’s dinners until he…

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Karen Schwartz
Karen Schwartz

Written by Karen Schwartz

Children's picture book author, fiction writer, personal essayist, kindness specialist, and lover of chocolate.

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