Do you celebrate Easter? Having grown up Catholic and attending parochial school Easter was a big deal. It all starts with Ash Wednesday and the first day of Lent. The big question as a kid was always - what is you giving up for Lent? As an adult I have to admit that I don’t keep track of the start of Lent but it never fails, sometime in mid February, I’ll be in a meeting and look up and see someone with a black cross smudged on their forehead – good Lord, wipe yourself clean going back to work. It’s hard for me to keep a straight face or take you serious with a big black cross smeared across your forehead! Then the Sunday before Easter you see people walking around with palms (saw it in Boston last Sunday). I remember as a kid my Mom would make crosses with the palms and hang them above the doors throughout the house. It makes me smile just thinking about it.
Somehow Easter has been lifted to the same status as Christmas. I’ve had several inquiries asking what we were doing for Easter. It always catches me off guard. I still don’t understand retail coming to a halt – even Costco is closed! If it’s that important for crying out loud - I want a day off from work!
Kent and I have an annual Easter weekend tradition of taking a day trip to the Columbia Gorge. It started well over 10 years ago. Spring here in Seattle is often frustrating - cool and cloudy. As an example, the current forecast for Sunday is 55 and rain! That’s how our tradition began. When the weather is rainy in Seattle, eastern Washington or the Columbia Gorge can be much nicer. We also are not tied to taking the day trip on Easter Sunday. Typically we look at the forecast and let that be the deciding factor. This year for example the weather forecast for Saturday in the Gorge is 71 and sunny and rain and 61 on Sunday - so you guessed it, this year we will be heading out on Saturday. The other good thing about going on Saturday is that all the stores are not closed!
So as you many have guessed – Kent and I don’t celebrate Easter - at least not in the traditional sense. So regardless of your beliefs and how you choose to celebrate (or not) Easter – have a great weekend!
Later –
Jim
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
This blogg is hard to comment on. Not because I am going to celebrate Easter as I once did. Rather it is because a man wether you believe him to be the son of God, (I do) or not he came and preached only love,forgiveness, and do good to others. He closed the old testament of killing stoning ect, and said Judge Not lest you be Judged. What could be more loving than that. He belived all the above enough to die a very painful and humiliating death rather than renounce what he came to teach. That teaching has been twisted and used for ill since then, however if we could all at least try to follow his true message there would not be discrimination, killing,or greed. For that reason alone I agree let the stores close,let us take a moment to accept our fellow man! I do kind of miss the palm leaf crosses. Have a wonderful drive up the gorge, and I hope you find a treasure. Love Mom PS I got the Easter Card today thank you as usual I made me cry, because it made me know once again that as I accept you so too do you accept me. We both follow his taeching wether we acknowledge him or not.
ReplyDelete