Easter Beauty

Glorify the Savior today!
Photo: Courtesy Connor Carroll

The Easter Bunny Lays Eggs?

     Although the idea of a rabbit laying eggs always baffled me, I never stopped to examine the origin of the Easter Bunny.  As a child, I was swept up in the tradition of Easter baskets and the clever bunny that would deliver them. And though I hate to admit it, I merely passed the practice along to my own children without any true thought as to why we sustained the ritual. I regret not knowing more about the history behind it.  So, for my children and any others who never knew …

      In pre-Christian times, the hare symbolized fertility.  In Northern Europe, Eostre was the goddess of fertility.  (Note the similarity of our word, Easter)   Legend tells us that Eostre cast a hare into the sky and created the constellation Leper.  Once a year, Eostre empowered the hare to lay eggs. 

     It all sounds sketchy to me!  For those parents (like me) who were clueless when their kids asked how a bunny could lay eggs  - vindication! 

     So now I have an answer, but it gives me the willies.  This discovery triggers my guilt - be it Catholic, Irish or maternal.   Here we were, trying to be good Christian parents; yet, we passed on a pagan ritual to our kids.  OY! 

     Thankfully this one hasn’t denied me sleep – yet.  My kids would say,  "Give it time. If mom doesn’t have something to worry about, she isn’t happy."

     I find one redeeming aspect to this whole bunny/egg issue -  the fertility thing.   Is not our glorious Easter Sunday but a rebirth of our lives in the Resurrection of Jesus?  The symbolic fertility hare translates into our renewal of life in Christ.  And while the pagans never intended to assume a place in Christian celebration, its very meaning aligns with the beauty of Christ saving souls for new life in His Creation. While maybe a stretch, it is a reasonable explanation for parents who want to keep Christ in their Christian holidays.

     Just a thought about the Easter egg.  I love the meanings hidden in the gifting and the coloring of eggs.   This simple food makes a strong visual for Easter Sunday. The egg’s outer shell represents the coffin or the entombment of Christ.  The interior is the birth of new life.  When we give eggs, we symbolically give Christ to one another.  When my children were little, we adopted an activity that came from my husband’s childhood.  Between the hours of 12 and 3 p.m., we would color Easter eggs, as quietly as possible. It was a time of reverence and fun.   Most people equate spring with bursts of color and new growth. What better way to symbolize the emergence of new life but in the shades of color on each Easter egg!

     I will continue in some of our family bunny business, but I’m grateful to have a good history lesson to share when “the birds and the bunnies” question comes up with the next generation.

     May the risen Lord renew us all!

     Hop on to EASTER JOY!

Here we are in Holy Week - the "high holy days" of the Catholic Church.  It saddens me to think that I spent most of my life "robot -ing" through this time - eyes firmly fixed on the end of Lent and towards that chocolate I denied myself - almost every day for 40 days.  What a pity! In later years, thankfully, I grasped the importance of the sacred week, the fasting, the rituals etc., and it astounded me. Our church is so full of symbolism!  It is so sensual!  I feel this time - intensely.  I pray that I  live it - intentionally.

Processing into church on Palm Sunday yesterday,  I grew self conscious, not wanting to wave my palm so as to draw attention to myself, yet wanting to wave it wildly so as to pronounce the arrival of the Son of Man.  There I was  - caught between two worlds.  And that is where I spend life - caught between  heaven and earth.  I pray the right one wins out!

During my reflection time yesterday,  I read about the centurion who pierced the side of Jesus as he hung on the cross.  I didn't realize that he's a saint - Saint Longinus!   Although nameless in the Gospels,  Longinus is referred to in each of the 4 Gospels. The accounts describe a man who had a conversion. He was born into new life the moment Christ breathed his last.  That incident draws significant parallels for me.  Just like the centurion,  I remain entrenched in the ways of this world - hanging n the balance of life and death with every decision I make. 

Longinus performed his typical duties pertaining to the crucified. He brutally clubbed the legs of the dying to speed the process along - so thoughtful.  :( Believing that Jesus was already dead, he pierced Jesus in the abdomen instead.  Out poured the symbolic blood and water -  death and life. (Symbolically, the priest mixes a little water into the wine during a Catholic Mass.)  Sacred legend describes this moment for Longinus as a conversion.  Apparently, he was blind, and the mixture of the precious blood and water dripped into his eyes, restoring his sight.  It was Longinus who proclaimed: "Truly, this was the Son of God." Matt. 27:54

It's sad that it takes that kind of proof - even for believers - though not surprising since we live in a fallen world. Our very nature is flawed. We are masters of the flesh, but not of the spirit  I see how easily I'm drawn to the stuff of life. But standing at Calvary, albeit at a distance sometimes, I am urged to learn from St. Longinus.  He got it! And although he got it later than sooner - the point is - he got it.

As Jesus proclaimed, "My Kingdom is not of this world." John 18:36. We are destined to make our way in this madness we call life and hold on to the proof that Jesus died and rose so that we could live eternally.  Holy Scripture reveals the truth of Jesus to us.  It also holds hidden gems throughout - stories of sinners turned saints, I pray that each Sinner turned Saint joins us on our journey through this Holy week and all the way to sainthood.

 May we all have an intentional Holy Week!

The Destruction of Teo's Dream

With the collective soul of the world in such dismal condition,  I  admit I’ve been looking for that one, bright spot.  I don’t in any way replace the real Savior of this world, but the world needs living examples of goodness walking among us.

 Manti Te’o, defensive linebacker for the University of Notre Dame,  stood out as a  bright spot  - a beacon for young men and women to emulate. His integrity and character outmatch many others - even those three times his age.   That is why the recent story revealing that his “girlfriend” was merely an online hoax has deeper consequences than what the intended “catfishers” were hoping to achieve – or was there a more sinister plot behind this?  There is already talk that this first round NFL draft pick is falling in the ranks and eliminated from some scouts' lists altogether.

The recent unraveling of a convoluted story in which Manti Te’o’s online girlfriend - tragically injured in a car accident and later died of leukemia just six hours after his maternal grandmother - speaks of a larger issue than whether or not he is telling the truth or had any involvement as the pundits would suggest.

A couple of observations: 1. It is totally plausible for people to carry on "relationships" these days via Internet and think nothing of it. My own children tell me they talk to people all the time and they really just text. On Facebook – they carry on conversations with people they don’t know. Heck, I just did that this morning!  2. With all Manti has and had at stake - including his poor performance at the BCS Game - don't you think he would have kept the ruse going until after he was safely selected to an NFL team in the draft? Why would he have jeopardized all that? Look at the history of other athletes. 3. In the Mormon religion - dating relationships  adhere to strict guidelines and purity is paramount. With that, and the rigors of being a D-1 athlete in an elite program, and a long distance relationship, it doesn't seem outlandish that he would have had a relationship such as this. I hope I'm right!

The sinister world of the Internet is not unlike any other intrinsic evil in the world. It is always something good that turns into something bad.  If you are a believer, then the fall of Lucifer is the first trace of good gone bad.  The danger in this situation is that we never know the enemy. Even the best Intel has difficulty luring out the evil that lurks behind the stroke of a key or the swipe of a screen.  That simple fact diminishes the danger for perpetrators and for the victims.  Online sabotage of people’s characters in the form of online bullying has resulted in young people taking their lives in desperation and pain.  The maligning of someone’s character through the Internet is cowardly, and because it is so difficult to track – the practice is rampant without consequence. Of course, there is the far reaching thought that perhaps someone’s conscience would bother him – but since we live in a world where conscience is dictated by moral relativism – sadly, that is no longer valid. 

As for Manti Te’o, I hope, for his sake – no- for my sake and perhaps all of our sakes – that he is just who he says he is – innocent.  Not to be innocent of the involvement – but rather to be innocent and trusting of humanity. What a concept! When did that become so unacceptable? 

September 11th - Ten Years Later

On this memorial of September 11,  I, along with millions of Americans, pause and allow that dark day of death to seep into my living and breathing.  In a memorial service in my home town earlier today, our mayor shared moving words from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speech, "Where Do We Go From Here?"
Fitting words for a nation healing from ten year old wounds.
As we released 1200 white balloons into the gloomy sky, I felt a catch in my throat as I worked to get out the words to Let There be Peace on Earth.
Yes! Let There Be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me.

 Excerpt from "Where do We Go From Here?" MLK Jr.
 I'm concerned about justice. I'm concerned about brotherhood. I'm concerned about truth. And when one is concerned about these, he can never advocate violence. For through violence you may murder a murderer but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.

And I say to you, I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind's problems. And I'm going to talk about it everywhere I go. I know it isn't popular to talk about it in some circles today. I'm not talking about emotional bosh when I talk about love, I'm talking about a strong, demanding love... I have decided to love. If you are seeking the highest good, I think you can find it through love. And the beautiful thing is that we are moving against wrong when we do it, because God is love. He who hates does not know God, but he who has love has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality.

God Bless America.

Momma's Football Psychology

-->

College Football is here. I'm a mom who deliberately channel surfs for football - quite a departure for women my age, and, yeah, well never mind my age.
Game one behind us.  Game two looming.

In my Sunday morning quarterbacking thoughts, I had a hunch and I am confident that I’m on to something. I came to a conclusion about the plight of football teams who suffer defeat at the hands of them selves.  Football analysts, sports journalists and coaches throw out their perceptive notions on this topic. But has anyone ever struck at the core of the problem? 

I see the problem as clear as day. Too many smiley faces. Yep!  You know the ones - the weekly progress reports that go home from elementary school with the smiles, the frowns and even in some cases, the neutral faces. Personally, I think the neutral face is the worst.  The poor child can’t evoke a smile or a frown?  Does the teacher just not like the kid? I digress.

Back to my theory. Could it be that those big, brawny football players did not get enough frowny faces during their elementary school careers? Did they only get smiley faces each week? Smiley faces don’t build tough guys.

My generation worked hard to paint smiles all over the world.  Society dreaded the frowny face.  But an abundance of smiley faces does not build mental toughness or grow a thicker skin.  The mental toughness that we look for in a Division I football player emanates from being able to face and handle adversity. Sadly, I think we have too many kids who earned only smileys, and thus never had to anticipate what followed a frowny face. They didn’t have to bounce back from disappointment.

Although I’m generalizing and offering up a little amusement, this is as good a reason as any for why a talented athlete would choke in front of 80,000 people.

 I acknowledge my responsibility in contributing to this problem.  As an educator in the 80s, I subscribed to all the behavior modification and other psycho-educational tools that brought order to the classroom.  Teachers dangled proverbial carrots in front of students and inspired them to greatness. Kids responded as expected for the most part. We had fewer discipline issues and only the egregious behavioral problems failed to respond to the system. It looked as though we had discovered the vaccine for the perfect learning environment. Parents gained access to these tools and soon everyone was humming the happy tune.  And the tune was sung by a purple hippo, a few puppets and a man in a cardigan sweater.  That alone should have bristled the short hairs.

Identifying the problem is only one part. What’s the solution?  How can this information impact the student athletes?  

Consider this, beloved and respected student athletes: So you got a horrible frowny face. Big deal. It’s not the end of the world, and it certainly isn’t the end of the season. Man up and get back in the game. Do what you bust your butt for. Do what you do best.  Do what you love. Play some awesome football!  And I will do what I do best – cheer you on with a big smiley face.

The Silence is Screaming at Me!

My youngest left home for real this time.  A college graduate, he opted for freedom and entry level poverty, rather than momma’s love and free rent. Who knew?

Don’t get me wrong.  A few hallelujahs gushed from my vocal chords when our youngest child meandered across the college stage.  Sing praise for no more tuition bills. Sing praise for no more back to school shopping. Sing praise for seeing the bottom of the laundry room floor. Those are worth celebrating – right?  Right?

Mingled with those cheers, I must admit, were a few tears.  Part of me wanted to experience a bearded, twenty something creep who lives in the basement, raids the fridge in a frenzy, hulks around the house in the middle of the night and then hibernates back to the cave at daybreak.

Don’t ask me why – it sounds repulsive.  But honestly ... it beats the sounds of silence.

I did not prepare myself for the deafening, screaming quiet of my house. I remember fondly when I locked myself in my bathroom, like every other devoted mother, just to escape the noise.  Even the pets mope around wondering, "Whassup with this? You're the only one left?"

Beginnings and Endings. Endings and Beginnings. Those clichés finally resonate with me.  I never fully grasped this idea until now.  I lived in a mommy bubble thinking that I would always be a mom, always taking care of somebody. Suddenly real life collided with my bubble - exploding it and exposing my vulnerability.

I invested my life in parenting, and I don’t regret that one bit.  I proudly boast of an EP at the end of my name  Some days the letters stood for Extraordinary Parent. Other days it stood for Eccentric Person.  I danced a fine line often and  there are definitely parenting moments that could have led to my incarceration. My hubby and my kids would gladly offer up some choice stories. But the truth is - you just do the best you can and at the end of the day, that is totally acceptable.  

And then one day ... the kids grow up.

So now what do I do?  Instead of Whaa! Whaa!  I decided to Blah! Blah!  My new therapy!