Margaret Domnick - The Inside Story...

I'm a woman, mother, friend, sister, daughter, wife and partner in crime. I'm spontaneous, anal, loud, loving, funny (or at least I think I am), and generally honest. Sometimes I get these thoughts... so I've created this blog to share them. Feel free to respond, but be kind...did I mention that I'm sensitive?



Sunday, April 8, 2012

Finding Easter Sunday...

It’s Easter Sunday evening. My house is strewn with candy wrappers, colored grass, and snack debris. The kids are in bed, I’m cozy in my pajamas, and the weekend is over. It was a good weekend; good enough to not be looking forward to an 8:00 appointment in the morning!

This morning I woke up a little earlier than I do most weekends. I expected to find my youngest, Max, hunting for his eggs; but it was my sleep-as-late-as-possible Madeline who was wondering the house (we’re inside egg hunters). She had wake-up hair and sleepy eyes and couldn’t stand the anticipation of Easter morning. It wasn’t long before all three of her siblings joined her in giving clues and laughing about hidden treasures. We don’t go crazy with eggs and gifts on Easter. The kids get a few dollars in a few plastic eggs, a new toothbrush, hairbrush, mechanical pencils and other little gifts in their basket, but we focus more on “the reason for the season”, our risen Lord. We honor our Catholic traditions, the end of Lent and focus on personal growth of some sort.

This Easter morning we dressed up in “nicer than normal” church attire and attended Mass as a family. Typically we head home, to Harper or KC, but this year we didn't. We cooked a big hearty breakfast and ate at the table. We talked, and laughed, and hung out together. Today we all stayed home. The kids played with each other, as they don’t always have time (or desire) to do. We went for a drive, and the roads were clear, the stores were closed, and there was no line at Sonic during Happy Hour! And it got me thinking…

Even though our nation strides to keep prayer out of schools and God out of politics, we still honor our faithful traditions. Stores were closed today, many schools were off last week for Good Friday; you can’t tell me they were celebrating a bunny rabbit bringing eggs and candy? They were honoring Faith, in some form, consciously or not.

Now I’m not naive enough to believe that my views of Easter are the only views…I understand that Easter and bunnies and eggs all have to do with new life and new birth and new growth. I know about the Pagan goddess Eastre. I grasp that my Christian beliefs have roots in the Jewish springtime holiday of Passover (the Hebrew word for Passover, Pasch, is synonymous with Easter in Europe). Easter is celebrated near the spring equinox, another celebration of growth and birth. Easter is engulfed by both pagan, Christian, Jewish and possibly other traditions and beliefs, but all those things are tied to some form of faith.

I believe stores were closed today and kids were out of school last week to honor Easter. And honoring Easter is honoring faith; even if it’s hidden in a bunny and eggs and candy. Happy Easter!

Margaret