Sunday, April 1, 2018

HAPPY EASTER!


April 1, 2018

For me Easter is almost as highly anticipated as Christmas for both similar and different reasons. Both are busy seasons. Easter is busy for me because I am on the Arts & Environment Committee at my church, so every Saturday in March was spent prepping for Easter (and there’s still a few more evenings ahead watering the lilies). It’s also a relief when Easter is over and ordinary time begins because there’s very little to do (other than checking and changing the altar cloth periodically) until Thanksgiving weekend (Advent).

It’s different than Christmas because the period between Thanksgiving and the new year we tend to stuff ourselves like the turkey we ate, then go on a diet once the new year begins. Lent is when we give up something for 40 days (a second attempt at a diet for some) and then stuff ourselves on Easter when the fasting is over.

Last year I definitely did a bit of the stuffing thing enjoying the chocolate peanut butter bunny I bought myself, but this year the only stuffing I plan to do is the stuffing I am going to make to go with the rotisserie chicken we’re having for dinner. Now I’m not judging anyone who has eaten more than their fair share of chocolate today, as that would normally be me, but I think the chocolate chocolate chip pancakes my husband made me for brunch more than satisfied my sweet tooth. By the way, he bought me a Dove dark chocolate bunny, which I plan to enjoy once the mood strikes me.

Easter is usually a non-event for my husband and I since we rarely ever spend it with family (due to geography more than anything else). Hence, it tends to be just another weekend for us with the exception of spending a bit more time at church. However, I would say this year was definitely one of our better Easters if for no other reason than I was pulled out of my grumpy mood by the huge turnout of volunteers we (the Arts & Environment Committee) got on Wednesday and Saturday. Not expecting that, I was taken a little off guard and almost didn’t know what to do, but the head of our committee, Kathleen, and me, soon started delegating various chores to our helpers. As a result, we got most of the Garden of Repose set-up for Holy Thursday so there wasn’t a lot of work to do before mass (since we have fewer volunteers available during weekdays).
Also, on Saturday we got done in record time (about an hour and a half, though some of us stayed a bit longer to touch up various areas and do a final clean-up). The volunteers on Saturday were also good at tending to what needed to be done without being asked, as they soon found neglected areas that needed tending to (like washing windows, dusting, vacuuming, etc.).
The gathering space has never looked cleaner. Thinking about it afterwards, the only task I really did (other than supervising and answering questions) was to wrap a (faux) cherry blossom vine around the Easter candlestick, which Kathleen liked (and our pastor didn’t take it off, so he apparently didn’t mind either).

By the way, I gave up chocolate candy and “The Gilmore Girls” for Lent. One of the ladies said she gave up “Target” for Lent (the one store you go into for one thing and come out with three because they’re so irresistible). She said one year she gave up shopping (other than for groceries). I would love to do that, but just know that that would be impossible unless I simply didn’t have time for it (though I certainly have a lot less time for online shopping these days). I have also found that if I don’t see it, I can’t want it, so it definitely helps to stay offline and put blinders on when you shop (or just go with my husband who almost never strays from the list and always gets out in record time).

Have a good week ahead everyone!

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