Easter

Hard to believe that Easter has come and gone---now it is time to emerge into the light and feel the warmth of the sun, stretch our winter stiff limbs and shake off the weariness of our hibernation---
I found a lovely quote by Katherine Lee Bates (yes she wrote America the Beautiful) describing Easter---
It is the hour to rend thy chains
The blossom time of souls (Doesn't the blossoming of souls sound miraculous and splendid with a promise of being everlasting)

Easter is not merely a holiday---it is a celebration of life.  It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his gift of resurrection to all mankind and on a deeper level it is a time to ponder the significance of the Atonement to mankind as a whole and individually. Yes there are Easter eggs and beautiful new dresses and bonnets all arrayed in the pastel palette of earth as it takes a breath of fresh new air----tender new green grass, baby pink buds on the trees,  blushes of lilac, the soft blue of the sky ----all warmed by the gladsome yellow glow of a stronger sun....everywhere we look the earth is returning to life and within us seeds of hope are stirring...

Easter at it's most joyous is a personal celebration---a cherishing of a gift given selflessly and at great cost---a gift given out of a love so pure it is almost incomprehensible to our mortal understanding but a love we so much want and need to understand---a love that brings joy too great to hold in small hearts--a love that expands hearts...

I do go on---again and again. Anyway, we were able to attend a Presbyterian Easter service last Sunday and hear our daughter play in a bell choir as part of the service. It was a unique experience. I especially liked something called 'passing of the peace' where everyone was encouraged to shake the hands of people near them and wish them peace. It felt good to connect with people in that manner. It was also wonderful to hear the choir (and anyone from the congregation who wanted to participate) sing the Hallelujah Chorus. I have always associated that with Christmas but it is inspired music that is very powerful---that reminds us that we truly are spiritual beings having an earthly experience and it felt right to hear it expressing the joy that is Easter.

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter. The babe Jesus of Bethlehem would be but another baby without the redeeming Christ of Gethsemane and Calvary, and the triumphant fact of the Resurrection."
Gordon B. Hinckley

I guess what I really want to say is that I had nice Easter---I hope you did too!

Fun With Leafy Green Vegetables

It's a rainy day and I have long loved rainy days. They make me want to curl up under a grandma quilt and take a nap or take a cozy journey through the pages of a good book. We have a high likelihood of flooding this year though so as fond as I am of rain it isn't the best forecast right now...

The other day when I was grocery shopping I was passing through the produce section on my way to the check stands and I heard a noise behind me that sounded a bit like heavy footsteps. When I turned around to see the source of the noise I saw that 4 or 5 heads of lettuce had fallen on the floor. There was no one else in the produce section but me (which was actually a bit odd now that I think about it) and I had not touched the lettuce.

Why did they fall at that particular moment in time??? Had one bold head of lettuce decided to set off on an adventure and convinced others to follow? (Come lett-uce go...)
Had several heads gotten together and simultaneously made a daring leap---perhaps cheered on by the other heads of lettuce?? (lett-uce entertain you)
Was it a sign that I should eat healthier???

Well Mondays can be hard enough without subjecting you to any more produce puns---so perhaps I will attribute the strange timing of falling lettuce to the more logical and scientific explanation offered by my husband---things settle and the settling of the lettuce could have been triggered by the intermittent sprays of water---definitely plausible but not nearly as much fun... Besides...somewhere in the back of my mind I vaguely remember a similar occurrence recently with something else falling off of a shelf when I was the sole person in the vicinity. Either I need to lose more weight than I thought or there is just something about me that seems to upset the balance of things. That is kind of an unsettling thought...

Other things to ponder about the produce aisle----
Why do I always want an apple or orange that is on the bottom of the pile---maybe I should just walk past and the one I want will fall onto the floor...
One sure way to learn patience is to try opening a plastic produce bag----without spitting on your fingers...
 I worked with a girl once who would break of the bottom of broccoli because she didn't want to pay for a part she wasn't going to use--a part that accounted for most of the weight. I guess that is why broccoli crowns are more expensive--you are paying for someone else to break off the useless part---(actually broccoli stalks are quite good but you have to peel them) I could kind of see my co-worker's point but following that line of thinking would lead to people peeling their oranges and bananas before buying them--- and what about eggs--we don't eat the shells...

I think I will go find my book now --and a quilt--

Come To Your Senses

Just wondering... The other day when I was putting on my deodorant I couldn't help but notice how similar it is to the stick stain treater that I use with the laundry and I was wondering if somehow the two could be combined---then when you put on deodorant you would be preventing/treating underarm stains at their source at the same time you would be dealing with perspiration and odor... What about a dog brush that attaches to your vacuum---seems like giving your dog a thorough vacuuming could save you from vacuuming pet hair from the furniture...the attachment could be made to feel like fingers so it would remove excess hair and give your dog a soothing massage... How about hairspray that would be a kind of a finishing spray---that wouldn't just hold your hair in place but would keep your makeup looking just-put-on fresh and your clothes from wrinkling. Think of how helpful that would be when it came time for family pictures---you could just get the whole family spruced up,tell them to smile, and spray---everything would stay in place---including the smiles... I recently noticed reserved parking spots just outside the front door of a fitness center. That seemed a little funny to me---it's a fitness center---you would think they would want to encourage their patrons to park farther away...Maybe there should be parking spots way out in Egypt(or whatever colloquial label you prefer to call the nether regions of the parking lot---obviously you wouldn't refer to it as Egypt in Egypt)marked as reserved for health conscious people--it would be interesting to see people fighting over those spots---and of course highly unlikely---and what if the prime parking spots were marked as reserved for lazy people????? After such goofy, random thoughts... I was thinking about how wonderful our five senses are---how they help us fully partake of this wonderful world Heavenly Father created for us and help us enjoy and appreciate our physical bodies. Through our senses we are able to create mental images that we can use as building blocks for imaginative pursuits or detailed memories. Our senses supply our minds with information, stir our hearts with strong emotion, touch our spirits, and indeed feed our whole soul. Of course our senses can bring in positive or negative stimuli but I would like to focus on the positive for the moment. Think of how refreshing a fresh-peeled orange smells or how satisfying a slice of warm homemade bread with melting butter and honey or fresh strawberry jam tastes. I love how soft lamb's ear plants feel(I just stepped outside and noticed mine have come up and I felt them and they are oh so soft) or a bunny that is so soft you almost can't tell when you're touching it--or the sweet softness of a new baby's skin. I have a bouquet of flowers sitting on my table that my husband so thoughtfully surprised me with and I keep looking at them (and sniffing them) because they are such beautiful, colorful, and delicate creations. Our three large trees along the fence in our backyard have all died and even more than their shade I miss their sound---the lovely sound of the leaves brushing against each other in the wind---a gentle, soothing rushing water sound... It is interesting that when we wax poetic our senses can become interchangeable or flexible in their descriptions. For instance I wanted to say that I can't get enough of drinking in the beauty of my flowers--of course they do not quench my thirst but I soak in their lovliness like dry earth soaks in rain--thankfully and eagerly and deeply. Women often refer to babies as being delicious (most often older women)--well thankfully we aren't referring to tasting the babies--perhaps just nibbling on their tender little ears--but babies do sate a hunger for innocence and purity and hope. We speak of tasting things that are not eaten, seeing things that cannot be seen, smelling emotions instead of odors...I think one reason we do this is because we have a desire to more fully use and understand our senses. I go through too many days under-utilizing my senses and that can be like just using paper to write on or just using a blanket for warmth. Paper can be used to make airplanes or hats or dolls or decorations...Blankets can be used to build tents or make super hero capes or to give someone a ride on...Too often I just use my eyes to see where I am going and not to see what I can see along my way--too often I use my ears to hear big loud sounds and miss the little soft sounds like birds chirping--often I see how pretty the roses are but I don't take time to smell them and touch their softness--feel their life--their spirit---or I garden without fully appreciating the feel of the earth--much too often I eat without really tasting--savoring... How fortunate we are if we have the use of all five of our senses. Think of experiences in which you can use all five senses---like walking through a garden--your eyes taking in the shapes and colors--your ears hearing the buzz of bees--your skin feeling the warmth of the sun--your nose breathing in the rich floral and earthy scents--and your tongue feeling the cool wet of water from a garden hose... The phrase 'coming to your senses' is most often used to mean becoming more aware-more connected-more sensible. I think when we take our senses for granted then we are just letting them bring things to us. Maybe we need to stop once in awhile and actively reach out with our senses---like a blind person reaching out to feel someone's face to 'see' what they look like---we need to reach out with our senses and see, hear, taste, smell, and touch our world--our existence to 'see' what it is really like... Gives new meaning to Extra Sensory Perception--- Enjoy!