Happy Easter!

Well, the bunny came this morning. Apparently he is as much a creature of habit as my children. For all they have grown so tall, they still get pretty excited about finding a basket of candy & silly treats!

And they did their thing at the pre-service breakfast. Actually, we were very lucky, in that we weren't asked to do the breakfast for the sunrise service! The second shift didn't require us to be there until 9:00. There wasn't a big crowd, but I was told a respectable amount was raised for the mission trip. Four pans of sweet rolls, plus the coffee cake, turned out to be more than was needed, but the Powers That Be promised she would find something good to do with the leftovers.

 And, I didn't have to do dishes!!!!

(If you can see, way in the back of the room, we had a pianist to provide music with the breakfast!)

There was an egg hunt. Apparently the egg-hiders were inspired to hide quite a lot of eggs high up in the branches of the tree all the kids are looking at. One boy climbed up and tossed eggs down.

 We had really lovely weather!

And our egg-hider hid eggs after we got home. Because the kids wanted to find them, but I didn't want them to spend long out of the fridge, since I plan to make them into colorful egg salad for next Sunday.

 Some things just keep being entertaining, year after year. But Ed says this is the Last Year. I think he said that last year, too.

The service today included the baptismal service for a baby who was born a few months ago, two months before he was expected. It was touch and go with him for a while, but he's come on nicely and is now quite adorable! Between the twice-a-year church goers and the friends-and-relatives of the baby, the church was packed to the gills. Fortunately I saw it coming and spread my cat-hairy jacket across an adequate stretch of our pew, so, though both Ed and I were snuggled up more closely to strangers than we are accustomed to being, at least we were in our spot and could enjoy the service without that uncomfortable Christmas/Easter dilemma of resentment at the people who have stolen one's pew in conflict with the knowledge that one should be glad that the slackers have decided to show up. 

This past Friday I was really struck by how "altar-like" the altar looked, stripped of all its usual dressings. Maybe a result of a year spent studying ancient history. Anyway, today's service was beautiful, and Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" kept running in my head.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou are not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou are slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Alleluia! Happy Easter!

And here is where I plan to spend the rest of the day (until I start hearing rumblings about Dinner, for which I actually do have a plan -- cooking chicken and heating up yesterday's stuffing and sweet potatoes. Slightly more ambitious than spaghetti-out-of-a-box, but not much!).

If the wind lets up, I may even wipe off a deck chair and enjoy the first outdoor read of the year!