Thoughts: Easter 2021

 

The 2nd Easter of the pandemic has come and gone.  Though I feel that it was an improvement over last year (https://bfthsboringblog.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-virus-diary-easter-2020-worship-walk.html) it was still not what I wanted in the holiday.  It was, however, what I needed and was safe and respectful.

I was able to attend (in person) a Maundy Thursday service.  Most of the attendees were on line (think there were only 8 people in the church sanctuary).  The service was also brief.  In the past a simple supper and hand washing before the service would have been the norm, but...

Friday I was off to the NJ shore again to help mom with a visit to a new doctor.  (She could have done it on her own, but since I took the day off it seemed like a good idea.)  It was a busy day for me, starting with a Shoprite run at 6 in the morning (the usual weekly run)  and ended with an evening run to a different Shoprite.  In between (besides the doctor visit) I managed to sneak in another Shoprite, an Acme, a Wawa, a Sunoco and concluded with Total Wine and More.  Both the wallet and I got a work out!

But that did mean no noon time service, which has long been a favorite of mine.  Luckily there is Zoom.  While not ideal, I was able to listen in on an early morning service while headed to my parents. While there is nothing like in person, virtual services are such a blessing.  When I cannot physically be there, I can still participate.  For my father, who has mobility issues, it has been a way to attend the church that he has been a member of for decades, even while living 70 miles away.  "Virch" has been one of the blessings of the pandemic.

Saturday was a big day of preparation.  I had planned on throwing together a casual Easter basket for my son, but at the last minute decided I needed to put something together for his girlfriend and her sister.  I also had a request from my neighbor to don the bunny costume and terrorize her toddler.  (Ok, that's not exactly what she asked, but you KNOW it's what happened.) I thought it might be less frightening if I had a small basket for her too.  Which is how I ended up in Walgreens Saturday afternoon along with a whole bunch of other wait to the last minute people!  (At least Walgreens was relatively well stocked all the grocery stores I visited were barren and stocking for the summer season.) Then I found myself sitting on the floor stuffing brittle plastic eggs (which had been stored in my basement for several years).  I think I shattered as many eggs as I stuffed. (I'm still finding plastic shards.)

Putting on a bunny suit is a challenge; especially when it's NOT one size fits all, but intended for a larger (in height and width) person.  (I'm not complaining; I got it for $10 last year at the thrift shop.)  My husband pinned up the legs for me and escorted me down the stairs so that I could go out in our backyard and sit.  (I thought sitting might be less threatening.)  Becoming a bunny is a process with a lot of "working parts...suit, shoe covers, vest, bow tie, paws...

Of course the most difficult part is the head.  With all that said, I was glad to do it for our neighbors (and I will do it again in a heartbeat if they ask), even if their daughter was too scared to leave her mother's arms.  (Although when they left and went back on their porch, she did kind of wave to me with the small stuffed bunny that I had put in her basket, so maybe it wasn't so bad?) 

After spending 20 minutes in a bunny suit, I figured I could declare Lent over.  (It was Easter morning in the Holy Land.)    Yes, that meant that I sat down with a glass of wine (Riesling) before dinner.  (And then I had glass with dinner too!)

Easter morning the family was up early.  (Even my son!)  I hadn't even had a chance to get his Easter basket out of the closet.  Oops!  But my husband (who got up AFTER my son!  How did that happen?), brought it down saying the bunny left it in the wrong room.  (I'm sure that was convincing to my teen son.)

 After some coffee and biscuits (Pillsbury chocolate chip flavored sweet biscuits are yummy), my son and I got dressed for church.  He was the layreader and I was part of the bell choir.  It was strange NOT to have a choir, trumpets and a tympani, but...We were lucky enough to have harpist Robbin Gordon-Cartier join us.  She is fantastic.  For me it is not Christmas until I hear her play "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and after yesterday's postlude her "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands" runs a close second.  Even though we could not greet each other as we would have liked to (don't we all want to hug each other again?), being together while remaining socially distant and fully masked celebrating the holiest of days came as close to normal as it could.  I am grateful that this year we were able improve upon last year and am hopeful that next year will be even better.

 Finally, my son presented me with a very special Easter gift.  The kid knows me! 


All in all it was a nice day, even if we didn't have the family gathering that we'd had in the past.  I am hopeful for the future...as we all should be.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We Have Taken America Back

Image
Back to a time when all men (and women) are not created equal.  Where women's healthcare is determined by men's laws and not by medical professionals. Where education tells only the "winning" side of the story and truth does not matter.  Where banning and burning books is a social event.  Where people who are "different" than those in power can be mocked, shunned and hurt with no real consequences. Where lies are acceptable and integrity is  just a word on a page We have moved into a time where rage is the rage.  Where hate is not just normal, but accepted and even cheered. Where leaders can ask to have their "enemies" killed and no one will bat an eye.  Where it's "funny" to see someone struggle.  Where felony is applauded. Where compassion is not shown and caring for others is looked down upon. We have taken America back to a time of pain and suffering for many.  Back to when the "haves" can have and the have nots don'...
Read more

It's Not About Starbucks (or is it)?

Image
  About a block and a half from my home in a major intersection.  At the southeast corner (which is nearest to me), is an empty building.  Back in 1995 it was a Bank of NY (I remember this because they didn't shovel/de-ice their parking lot well and my husband fell and broke his ankle one Monday morning.  I recall this clearly because we were not yet married and it was the first day of a new job for me.  I had gotten on the bus to work and he was catching a later one; only he never got there.  Instead he ended up laying on the ground until an employee came to open up the bank.  Then he had them call an ambulance AND my mother who took control of the situation until I arrived home that night blissfully unaware of what had happened that day.)  It eventually became a Chase Bank; the second one in my small little town.  It eventually closed.  I'm not sure when but it's been empty for quite a long time.  (I do know that it was open in 20...
Read more

As Is

Image
  Today I want to discuss what I think it is a relatively simple concept, but may be difficult for some, even an attorney who might have once, over a decade ago won a  prestigious award  for young lawyers .  That term is "AS IS." As you may know, I volunteer in a thrift shop.  Everything we sell, from all the donations we receive, is "as is."  The items are not brand new.  They are not perfect.  That doesn't mean they aren't any good or worth something. They are sold "as is."  Buyers should go in knowing that. (After all you are shopping in a thrift shop!)  In some cases, particularly when we are offering higher end products, we will actually write on the price tag, "as is." Such is the case of two designer purses that I purchased from there this summer.  (I'm a purse-aholic!  Don't look in my closet.)  They were reasonably priced (especially when you consider the name brand), but each had an "as is" clearly marked o...
Read more