The grand gesture of grand getaways

In a world so often encumbered by petty conceits and the small-minded, to be truly “grand” is to be truly unique.

After all, how very, very special is a grandparent or the Grand Canyon. How awesome is Grand Central Station, how stately was the Grand Concourse and how overwhelming is the Grand Central Parkway.

Ours’ is a “Grand Old Flag,” just as the party of Old Abe was the Grand Old Party! Spectacle flows from a Grand Opera, as does spectacular music from a grand piano and special memories from a grand tour.

Cherished is the grandfather clock, adhered to it that which is “grandfathered in,” and, when something is deemed truly “big,” it’s deemed the “grand-daddy of them all.” Big-time crooks commit grand-larceny, big-time gamblers bet “a hundred grand,” while a base-clearing hit is a “grand slam.” We convene a grand jury, happily anticipate a grand opening, venerate a “grand dame” and seek context and meaning from within the “grand scheme of things.” When we do something truly great, we do it on a “grand scale.”

Ah, “grand…” even the word is grand. Not “grand” as in “grandiose” which implies affectation and absurd exaggeration, but rather “grand” as in “grandeur” which bespeaks dignity, class and style. It’s the “grand” of “grandeur” that’s the grand in GRAND-GETAWAYS, a special events tour that my wife Janet and I joined for Passover.

Under the direction of our nephew, Alan Berger, (whose children are our grand nieces and grand nephews) Grand Getaways combines religious observance with family fun in a decorous atmosphere of tasteful elegance and sumptuous fare. It’s the realization of the “grand” idea of blending the first-class accommodations of the Waldorf-Astoria in Orlando with top-rated recreational facilities and the faithful observance of tradition, while sharing (and creating) memories midst buffets, meals, barbecues and desserts that are grand to encounter and even grander to consume.

To renew old acquaintances and forge new friendships, to retell history while enjoying the pleasures of modernity to which generations gather around a table, a pool, a ceremony, an amusement ride and a thoughtful session in one locale in unity and love is enough to cause one to wax grandiloquent.

Yet, as noted, one needn’t grandstand when elegance, sincerity and hospitality forge an experience that reminds you and proves to you that caring people can make life simply grand.

© Copyright © 2011 Ron Goldman Ron Goldman is an attorney in private practice and can be reached @ 1-800-846-9013.