On My Kiester Praising Easter

Easter: Originally, name of pagan vernal festival almost coincident in date with paschal festival of the church.

I went to church this Sunday. Mostly I went to make my mother happy on Easter Sunday, one of The Big Two along with Christmas if you're going to go to church. Attending a church service doesn't elicit any strong response from me one way or the other any more. I think it's a little boring, frankly, and have a hard time paying attention. I usually close my eyes and meditate which is probably not a bad way to spend time in church. I think about Easter itself, a weird combination of Christian lore and pagan celebration of the coming of Spring and fertility rites. Why do you think the prolific and fecund bunny was chosen as a symbol for this particular holiday?

Anyway, Easter service is often quite long. In fact, and I say this with all seriousness, this may have been the longest church service I have ever attended. There was singing and processions and welcoming of new members and a children's message and offering of prayers to the Forgotten Orphans of Foreign Wars and stuff like that. I spent some time whispering to my little niece, trying to tempt her with outrageous sums of money to walk up to the front of the church and suggest that the pastor speed things up. She declined, although the cash clearly had her attention. I started my bribe at $50 and went to $100, at which point my brother in law showed some interest. I would have paid it, too. At one point I offered to make the perp walk myself, but she was only offering two dollars, which seemed a little skimpy. It did pass the time.


This year it wasn't so bad. I try to take to heart the spiritual principle of putting the well-being of others before my own. I'm not good at it, but I do give it a shot from time to time. I see, in The Program and in the general public, that people who think of others are happier than selfish people like me. It goes against my core instincts to think of other people. It's not natural. It has only come through practice.

I have to admit that I felt better about myself.