A little late

I hope everyone who celebrates had a blessed Easter. (And a happy Passover, for all of those who are celebrating).

My Easter was quiet but that was how I wanted it. The main feature of the day was church, which is how it's almost always been for me with Easter. (Even when I was a small child...being able to go out early to the Sunrise Service on the Green - even in the years when I had to wear a winter coat over my Easter dress). Yes, we did dyed eggs and baskets but that was for AFTER church. (No, wait...I think we must have hunted for the hardboiled eggs before, because otherwise...hardboiled eggs sitting out for an hour or two, no.)

I never feel sad being away from family on Easter. (I think I would on Christmas or Thanksgiving). I think part of it is that I've been doing Easter as a solo holiday since I was a college student (well, with that break in there when I lived with my parents while in grad school). A couple years when I was an undergrad, someone from the church I belonged to did invite me to their house for dinner, and that was good and nice and I enjoyed it. But I don't have problems, especially now, with 'doing' Easter alone. (Part of the reason I was grateful as an undergrad for the invitation was that the kitchenette in my apartment was so small, and I was on such a careful budget, that I couldn't have afforded fancy food even if I had had space to cook it).

For me, if I can get to church on Easter (and maybe if I can pick up a box of marshmallow Peeps or a couple of chocolate filled eggs), that's all I need to be happy.

(I think our pastor is trying to train us to be more vocal and responsive, several times during the service he offered the prompt of either "Christ is risen!" or "He is risen!" (and the expected response is either Christ is risen indeed! or He is risen indeed!). The first time, we all hesitated (even me, who kind of knew what was expected) but by the end we were doing it.

(That reminds me of one of my favorite stories Madeline L'Engle wrote about, how in one of the Communist countries, shortly after the communist takeover, one of the Party members was speaking to a large crowd, and an old priest asked if he could say three words to the crowd at the end*. The Party official, apparently figuring that there was nothing a priest could say in that little span of words that would have any effect, agreed.

So at the end of the Party official's speech, the priest got up. And addressed the crowd:

"Christ is risen!"
And the crowd responded back, "Christ is risen, indeed!"

Suggesting, L'Engle said, that there are some things in the spirits of people that no revolution can really alter...)

(*I have no idea if it would be three words in Russian - or whatever language the story originally took place in - but three works for the translation)

I also put the bunny rabbits up on the mantel. They'll be able to stay up there a while, isn't the tradition that "Easter" technically lasts until Pentecost? (At which time we enter back into old Ordinary Time until Advent rolls around...)