I haven't been myself lately. Lots going on with friends and family. And my health is precarious. It's fun to talk about getting old and dying when you feel good. When you don't? Not so much. And, like most of us, when other people I love are suffering, it's "Katy bar the door!"
So on Friday night I was tempted not to go to our church "Tenebrae" or "dark" Good Friday service. This is an ancient Christian service that makes use of diminishing light symbolizing the events from Palm Sunday to Easter. It's all about death and hopelessness. It ends in darkness. The music is magnificent but, for those of you who don't do religious services, think of it as the saddest opera you've ever seen.
We went. But it was tough. Saturday was an introspective time.
But today was Easter! And it was all about Easter. We had our annual Easter brunch in Forum, about 60 of us. I didn't feel well. It didn't matter. My friend, who has been ill for at least ten years, appeared as Mary Magdalene and reminded us that she was the one who discovered Jesus was missing from the tomb.
Yes, it was a girl who saw him first!
The entire morning was a glorious celebration. We attended the last of five Easter morning worship services. It's clear to me that some of us have to acknowledge the pain of Good Friday before we can even begin to appreciate what Easter is all about.
***
So on Friday night I was tempted not to go to our church "Tenebrae" or "dark" Good Friday service. This is an ancient Christian service that makes use of diminishing light symbolizing the events from Palm Sunday to Easter. It's all about death and hopelessness. It ends in darkness. The music is magnificent but, for those of you who don't do religious services, think of it as the saddest opera you've ever seen.
We went. But it was tough. Saturday was an introspective time.
But today was Easter! And it was all about Easter. We had our annual Easter brunch in Forum, about 60 of us. I didn't feel well. It didn't matter. My friend, who has been ill for at least ten years, appeared as Mary Magdalene and reminded us that she was the one who discovered Jesus was missing from the tomb.
Yes, it was a girl who saw him first!
The entire morning was a glorious celebration. We attended the last of five Easter morning worship services. It's clear to me that some of us have to acknowledge the pain of Good Friday before we can even begin to appreciate what Easter is all about.
***