Last night I was happy that I eventually got to the Pascha service. It started at 11. My husband wanted to leave at 10 since Basil was to serve. I told him to go with the the kids who were up-- I was literally growling at everyone. I had wanted to sleep, but the kids and he were coming in to my room, playing 20 questions. I think I finally fell asleep after 9PM.
Around 5-6PM we were having fun dyeing eggs. The house was loud. I prefer classical music, but Dmitri wanted country and our sound was delightfully loud, with yelling, laughing, squealing (the kids fight and cause each other to make horrid sounds while they argue!) and music coming out of our house. It was great. I marinated some steaks for today’s feast and made fried chicken for the fast-break.
As soon as my mood perked up post nap-attempt, with Cloud making me lavender tea, she and I hopped around the living room playing Easter Bunny and we were silly. Yes, she saw her presents first and I think she got into her new make-up, but we had fun.
We got to church and I saw several women wearing long skirts (most do) and all I could think of was how I was wearing those damned things seven months ago. I have to admit, my heart caught in my throat a few times as young children were holding candles that flirted with igniting their mother’s skirts. (One lady’s hair did ignite very briefly as she bent over a toddler.) I can’t believe I dressed like that. Were my jeans and running shoes better than the long skirts and mostly heels and hair covers that make them look like noses with bodies attached? I can’t say that, but I was really glad that I quit dressing like that. Most looked like blobs and the Old World Look belongs with our grandmothers. Great-great-great grandmothers.
We missed the promenading around the church, but we got there in time to stand. Communion was about 150 people long. I really wished that a fire marshal had been there to say that it was unsafe. It really was unsafe. My inner insurance agent (who sounds a lot like my mother!) was yelling at me to get out, if there was a fire or an earthquake, the chances of getting out to safely with all my children. . . were not good. I kept thinking of my early morning yoga class where my teacher said that we did mantras not so we’d sweat in her studio, but so that when we were in the kitchen and the kids were yelling, or in crowded places where we felt threatened, that we’d remember to exhale.
At the fast break, one woman with a very precocious child kept apologizing for her daughter’s hilarious antics. I really started to get ticked because her 4 year old daughter is smarter than my seven year old and her apologies seemed to draw attention to how smart she is. Don’t get me wrong, I like them both, but I found her mother annoying and her daughter would have been funny if she had let her be. (Mom was knit-picking and I won’t be shocked if said daughter turns to crime in rebellion.)
We had a nice Pascha basket. Ours is never fancy or as pretty as other people’s baskets. There are just too many of us and no matter how big the basket is, we are always filled to overflowing (a blessing!) I made lots of fried chicken, cookies, and added yogurts, beer, Baily’s, cheeses, sausages, eggs and fruit that wasn’t part of breaking the fest, but still good. I ate sliced pears and cheese and fried chicken.
Calamity Jane and I wrapped presents and took presents for a few friends. Those were fun, but I hate giving presents because the receivers’ first responses tend to be, “But I didn’t get you anything!” and they are genuinely upset. These presents were pretty wind chimes that I’d found on sale and had bought several for gardeners who I know. Cloud was standing nearby and said to one person who said she didn’t get me anything, “My mom saw this and thought of you. Go home and open it, you will understand why. If you see something that makes you think of her, get it for her, but there are no strings attached to this!” I was happy for that. I hate that I can't get people something because it makes me happy thinking of them and leave it at that.
We got home to the dawg having eaten the Easter eggs that were not stuffed in shoes. He was gassy and seems ok, just gassy. (No eggs for Dawg!) I ranted about the rabbit and the kids laughed. My antics were convincing enough to have one of the boys quietly take me aside and ask if I had hid the eggs or not! The kids liked their baskets-- I didn't buy baskets this year because they get crushed in moves, so I made lunch sack baskets with candy and presents on the outside.
My husband made me a really nice basket with chocolate and tea-- that was really sweet of him.
We have a feast later today at the church. We just constructed a parish hall and it’s done enough that we can eat in it. Builders resume in the morning.
Overall, we are having fun, but I don’t feel a part of this. Is it because I feel so detached from things right now? Our insurance just cut us off and I am appealing though the state department of insurance but we lost our rental furniture. They are coming for the beds at the end of the month. I feel very unsettled again and it's worse than the fire in some regards. Money that we'd saved for baseball was used on an extra month's rent of the beds.
2 comments:
It must be a nice holiday. On Easter males pour perfume on ladies (we used to pour cold water) and in return we get painted eggs and pálinka. :D
Is Pascha the Orthodox Easter? I ask because in Spanish Easter is Pascua and they sounds similar.
Perfume? Yuck! I can smell it now! And they give you pretty eggs in return? Come up to me with your perfume and I'll just GIVE you an egg and you can keep the perfume!
Yes, Eastern Orthodox Pascha is Easter, but we do ours during Passover because Christ's last meal was supposedly a Seder meal and we tie it in to that.
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