Something Good About Passover?

Leora asked for our favorite things about the passover Seder.  I'd like to broaden the question, especially after a very negative and revealing post of my own on me-ander.

When I was down at Tel Shiloh on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, I revelled in the beauty nature had miraculously revealed.  I took picture after picture, as if I was photographing my grandchildren at play.  Bli neder (not an oath) I will post them at a later time, like when we have a better computer.  This year, we were blessed with more rain than recent years, though according to our neighbor Rabbi Dov Berkovits who keeps records, only about 85% of the official annual quantity.  Maybe it's also because we had a relatively warm winter, but the almond trees were full of delicious green almonds.  At this stage, they are totally edible.

There are many animals which "change their skin" every year.  Is that related to our Passover cleaning?

In the fall, we move into temporary homes, succot, to remind us that we're on a path and the material possessions are just fleeting, temporary.  Is there a relationship to Passover and the need to change all the dishes and kitchen equipment?

Chametz חמץ in Hebrew also means "spoiled."  If food is too old and dangerous to eat, it smells חמוץ "chamootz," spoiled.  If we hold on to things and feelings too long, do we endanger ourselves?

Is this why so many people, present company excluded, go "whole hog" (rather an oxymoron, outrageous idiom considering) cleaning for Passover?  People scrub their windows and ceilings, while for sure there's no food, nor does anyone eat on their ceilings and windows.

I don't expect to find food in the clothes closet, since only clean clothes are hung there, so a year like this (and too many others) year I don't pull out all my clothes to check every pocket.  There's no way I could have sandwich or cookie crumbs in a pocket, especially since I don't eat those foods.  A year and a half ago, I changed my eating/menu and lost weight.  Chametz, bread, cakes, noodles etc aren't on my daily menu.

For almost six months, my father has been living with us, so the grandkids have only come for short visits.  We don't get food all over.

What's the best thing about Passover?  It's reaching the deadline, biyur chametz, burning the chametz, that time the morning before the seder when I know that I'm finished.  Nothing more can be done.  What's done is done.  Make peace with it and go on with Passover.  Until we make the "Hamotzy," prayer on the matzah during the seder, we can eat neither chametz nor matzah or any matzah meal based food.

Then I wonder why the holiday is only a week long.  All that work for only a week...

If Passover is only a week, maybe we should calculate our preparation time for just the same, a week?

What are your thoughts?  That's what comments are for...