Easter

It is Easter--a day of celebration and polarity. It seems everyone I encountered today has a very set opinion about what Easter means. For some, this day represents a time for introspection, gratitude and jubilation. For others, it is a season of mystifying beliefs met with skepticism or downright incredulity and ham. There are very few in-betweeners and haven’t-decideders. Since I’m still working my way through a personal theology revamping, I can’t quite find a comfortable new spot in the former but feel wary of the latter. Even if you are a believer, the day is complicated. And if you’re a kid, it’s just not happening. At church during Children‘s Time, the pastor tried to explain resurrection with two different colors of cord “inexorably” intertwined. I could see where he was going, and the kids like his energy, but I can’t say that even the adults understand the concept, let alone toddlers with faces full of jelly beans. I suppose I should have chosen an Easter-themed book for today in an effort at tutoring Scarlett in the basis of Christianity, but we didn’t have a simple enough one and I’m not even sure that’s possible. So, I chose what I think is a fair compromise. Clare Turlay Newberry’s Marshmallow is about a pampered house cat whose only-pet status is challenged by an adorable little bunny addition to the household. Oliver works hard at making peace with Marshmallow. They play, snuggle and become fast friends. That’s an Easter message for everyone.

http://www.amazon.com/Marshmallow-Clare-Turlay-Newberry/dp/0060244607


http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/12536/Clare_Turlay_Newberry/index.aspx

Praise the Lord?!

Having spent more than three decades immersed in a religious tradition I no longer consider home, pondering Scarlett’s theological education is an exercise in second-guessing myself: Do we need church? Does Scarlett miss out not having formal religious instruction? Are we copping out doing the “we’re spiritual but not religious” thing because Sunday mornings are good for sleeping in? And so on. Nick spent his childhood and teenage years visiting a variety of churches and experiencing a spectrum of religious traditions, so he is more comfortable with a “let things go how they go” approach. Getting twisted up in these existential dilemmas is not his style, but it’s a fairly constant state of being for me. Scarlett seems unfazed by our ambivalence, she just likes what she likes and a book she is particularly drawn to is My First Read And Learn Book Of Prayers by Dr. Mary Manz Simon. I asked her to go get a book this morning when she was being especially fractious and, of the many books on her shelf, she chose the prayer book. Fitting for Sunday, I guess. The book has a kind of quirky charm. It includes the expected prayers for morning, meals and bedtime but it also includes prayers about being sad moving to a new place and feeling displaced by a new baby. We snuggled and she relaxed. We still may have some things to work out, though. There’s a picture of Jesus on the front… and Scarlett calls him Santa.

http://www.marymanzsimon.com/

http://www.amazon.com/First-Learn-Prayers-Little-Shepherd/dp/0439906326