Easter 2011

Easter is a tricky holiday, for Christians and non-Christians alike. The idea of Easter is triumph of someone really important and, by extention, the triumph of his gentle guidelines for living. But we don't go to church, turned off by the inevitable all too human politics that block any real feeling of how to do the right thing on any given day. So the desire to celebrate is muted. The extended family lunch has been successful; that is, including the ingredients that appear to be appropriate for Easter Brunch, ham and potato salad. The discussion around the table touches on Easter only briefly. With the inquisitivem curious an impatient tweens at the table, conversation swings - no pun intended - to spring softball practices and recollections of the grandfather's career ending injury as an 8 year old. What is missing is a sense of some positive consequence of this Jesus Christ's triumph. Do we not need to worry about life anymore? If, by believing in the rules this guy laid out, we are saved, shouldn't there be fewer bitchy people in church?

Even though Easter moves around, it typically shows up somewhere in the midst of a very tentative spring. The grass looks green and the rain feels like feed for the growth to come. But it's still cold and wet. Inhospitable to hair like mine that is unwilling to accommodate moisture without exploding into gentle fuzz.

This blog thing is new to me, and I'm probably going to be hopelessly confused about the details. It seems like a lot of clueless, stoned college students do this, so you'd think I could figure it out.

I ordered a book from Amazon called "How to Simplify your Life". Of course, even if I know how to simplify my life, I'm not sure I'd have the motivation to do it. Don said I could simplify by reducing my trips to Whole Foods and Fresh Market. I view the availability or organic produce and healthy sounding stuff in the prepared food section as a legitimate part of simplifying. I give up something else - like shaving.

Mommy and Samantha

Mommy and Samantha
Originally uploaded by jenhwoods

It's unusual to get Samantha to sit still long enough to catch a picture, particularly since her sister is usually just out of the frame distracting her. Samantha and I are a lot alike - sometimes I think this is a good thing. Sometimes I wonder if my weaknesses will limit Samantha. She loves people so much and is so warm, but I'm afraid that she will become an excellent reflection of others not someone unique.

My solution is to try to set an example - show her that there is only a certain amount of embarassment to be expected from trying extraordinary things. When we die, we won't have time to try new things anymore and it won't matter whether the whole world laughed at us while we DID try new things. The only person to impress is ourselves.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.