Post-Lenten Thoughts
This year, for the first time in several years, I didn’t give anything up for Lent. Having already given up corn, potatoes, dairy, and eggs because of food allergies, I wasn’t really interested in giving up anything else, even temporarily. (I realize that I could have chosen to pick a non-food-related vice the way that people who can’t fast from food and water can still fast from something else, but Lent is not supposed to be an exercise in the theoretical limits of deprivation; I’m feeling deprived enough as it is.)
I had worried, over the past few years, that my yearly Lenten abstention had somewhat cheapened Easter for me. (The holiday had come to represent the day I could once again have chocolate, first, and the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, second.) However, not celebrating Lent this year made Easter drop almost entirely off my radar screen. I had a vague idea that it was coming, since it was almost April and we’d had General Conference, but I wasn’t aware of the actual date until I talked to my mother about planning my trip to Boston and she pointed out that I’d be flying back on Easter Sunday. (For the record, Easter Sunday is a lovely day to travel; there was no one ahead of us at the ticket counter or in the security line, and the plane landed forty minutes ahead of schedule. Oh! And the jet we flew back on was so small that we got to do the whole thing where you walk outside on the tarmac and up the stairs to get inside!)
So we landed in Indy and I drove Melyngoch home and on the way back we stopped off at a grocery store and bought an Easter ham and LOTS of chocolate (because Mel had given it up for Lent) and I stayed for a bit of Easter dinner and tried to pretend that I still didn’t have another three hours to drive home.
I left Mel’s place a little after 10 pm and set out for home. About an hour into my drive, I turned my CD player off and drove the rest of the way in silent darkness, which turned out to be a very peaceful way to end the day. And if I could have one wish for Easter (Do you get Easter wishes?) it would be that next year I’ll be feeling well enough to observe Lent.
1 Comments:
Give up Mike's pastries for Lent next year, and we'll make a pilgrimage . . .
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