Today’s Easter….
Guessing no one is celebrating the single most important holy day of the Christian calendar as usual. COVID-19 has changed everything from a cocktail at your favorite watering hole to the celebration of Easter Sunday.
A normal Easter at our house would be an early trip to church before heading home and Shari starting dinner. Since we blend families with different menu choices Shari prepares the American menu consisting of ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, salad (w/Christopher’s dressing) and pies for dessert.
Having grown up in a home that honored Italian traditions on all holidays none of the American menu excites me although I do take a little of some of it. Nope I grew up with my grandmother’s Pastachina. An Italian casserole with layers of noodles, small meatballs, boiled eggs (note if it were up to me they would be eliminated), red sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Prepared and baked in a large bowl the layers tended to blend together and provide a dish so good it makes you forget about all the other things on the buffet. My mother taught Ann to make the dish so we still could enjoy it long after Grace and Dorothy passed. Thanks Mom!
Over the years I’ve noticed Shari’s family and our daughter in law adding larger portions of Pastachina to their plates which proves the old adage “You’re either Italian or wish you were!”
Today homes across the country find themselves watching church services online or watching on TV. The “Stay at home” orders have been issued to protect us from ourselves. Some have chosen to make this day political with their arguments of religious freedom vs proclamations limiting groups to no more than 10 - limiting congregation size. I find myself asking “what?”
I’ve always thought you could celebrate your faith from any anywhere and the church was a place to congregate with those of the same beliefs. Our country honors religious freedom allowing you to choose to worship where you like. Today is a day to to honor the ultimate sacrifice for Christians - staying home is a small sacrifice to celebrate the right to eternal life. So relax!
While I’ll miss a traditional Easter sharing time with family and catching up on life I understand. I’m willing to spend this holiday alone if it means we can all be together to enjoy future holidays as a family. Easter moves up and down the calendar so I guess we can gather for Easter when the virus has been contained.
I hope you have found a way to celebrate this great day in a meaningful way. Soon we will all be wishing for a little quite time and an escape from our hectic world.
Stay sanitized!
Happy Easter!
Comments