Easter Thoughts

It's Easter at this house and that can only mean one thing...Celebration! We began the morning at 5:00a.m.  The Spouse woke up to her alarm so she could get ready for Mass at 8:00a.m.  The Boy Child shuffled out of his room at 5:30a.m. and The Girl Child followed shortly after. 

The Bunny left some gifts for them on the kitchen counter and then we headed out for our pre-dawn ritual of hunting eggs. 

We met The Spouse's mother at church and really enjoyed the service. The priest is from Kenya and he explained that in his home Easter Day is celebrated with loud shouts of joy, ululating, dancing and going to church. He demonstrated the act of ululating for us. I've seen it on television and never fully understood it. Today, I got it!  It's an expression of extreme joy.  I looked around our church and noticed that we would be be completely out of place in Kenya. We were dressed in Easter finery, but we weren't a particularly joyful or boisterous group. I contemplated imitating him just to see what happened. I wonder if anyone would have joined in. 

We took a picture outside of church just because.

The Spouse and I came home and furiously cleaned the house and got ready for 16 friends and family to come over. The Spouse and The Girl Child made an Easter Bunny bread thing. 

I'm not one for stating the obvious, but the levels of irony and cruelty here are just too many to pass up. For instance, isn't it wrong to have that bunny surrounded by celery and carrots that he can't eat?

We had lunch with some special friends. Kimberly Adelson (one of my heroes) and her Mother and Step-Father joined us.  Kimberly continues to battle her cancer. It's an insidious and hateful disease but we know she will defeat it again!

Eating with friends and family on occasions like this is a good reminder of they way things used to be. Gathering at the table to break some bread and share some wine are among the simplest of pleasures but they hold the most powerful of meanings. We gather to reminisce, to remember and to plan for the future. We gather together at a table because it is there that we share in the communion of our kindred spirit. We gather together at a table so that we remember the paschal feast. Jesus sat with his friends and family and broke the bread and shared the wine. He asked that we do this in remembrance of Him. It's hard to believe that over 2,000 years have passed and we continue to hold this most sacred ritual. 

Maybe we should stop for a bit and remember that sitting at the table and sharing food and drink are sacred events. Maybe they've become so commonplace that we've forgotten their sacredness. Maybe, we shouldn't forget this any more. 

I'm grateful for the time we had with our family and friends today. I will try to be more mindful of Christ's promise that where two or more are gathered in his name He will be among us. 

I saw Him today in the face of Kimberly.

I saw Him today in the face of her Mother and Step-Father.

I saw Him in the face of my in-laws. 

I saw Him in the face of my friends from our old neighborhood. 

I saw Him in the face of my Mother and sister. 

I saw Him in the face of my Father and Step-Mother. 

I saw Him in the face of my children. 

I saw Him in the beautiful face of my wife.

I am most gratified and humbled that I saw Him today!