On balance, a good Easter weekend

by David Grand
March 31, 2005

I've always liked Easter, not only for its religious significance, but for the fond remembrances I have of putting out dyed eggs in the yard at night for my five sons to gleefully find in the morning. And I still hide a few of 'em in my yard for old time sake. However, come morning time, I usually can't remember where I hid them. But my dogs do.       

I also found that people tend to be a little more friendly during Easter weekend, even if it's as short-lived as the warmth and spirit of brotherhood that envelops them at Christmastime. And no doubt, those in  the pulpit on Easter Sunday must've wished, in observing the full pews, that they were as filled on all Sundays.       

And surely that song "The Easter Parade" (that Irving Berlin wrote in 1948, and which was introduced in a film of that name starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) was sung around the piano in a few homes. My dogs cocked their heads when I sang it, but at least they didn't run under the bed.       Among the good things that happened during the weekend were: the Pope appearing in the window long enough to give a silent benediction to the world; and the media circus over the unprecedented showdown over one woman's fate finally winding down, after Terrie Schivo's parents urged her supporters to quit protesting and to go home and spend Easter Sunday with their families.      

I'd decided not to add my two-cents worth to that prolonged, agonizing debate, except to repeat Rep. Henry Waxman's words, that "the Congress and the President turned the Schiavo's personal tragedy into a national political farce." Wonder if they'll continue to superimpose their judgements over the courts, when and if  similar situations arises among the 30,000 cases in this country where people are living in a persistent, vegetated state?       

And I take umbrage at the fact, that while the latest developments in the court battles to preserve her life were front-page news, the reports of the killing of two soldiers and one marine on Good Friday, and the killing of four soldiers the next day in Afghanistan by a mine exploding under their vehicle, were consigned to to the inside pages. There were no death vigils for them.     

But the personal bad news was when a copper pipe sprung a leak on Easter eve, that inundated my downstairs and carpet with two inches of water, short circuiting the water heater in the process. Thankfully, my homeowner's policy covered the damage and a good-neighbor was able to fix the leak and repair the heater. (A plumber I'd called earlier wanted $135 to just come in the door.)       However, mine was a relatively minor problem, when compared with what a man dressed like an Easter Bunny at a mall in Council Bluffs, Iowa suffered, who was arrested and charged with two counts of harassment after screaming in the face of another employee (dressed as a female bunny) that he was tired of people throwing water and other items at him and was quitting. Maybe he can still be re-hired to play Santa at Christmas, where all he'd have to worry about is getting a wet lap.      

The weekend ended, though, on a real high note, when I called a first cousin, who's a retired nun living in a convent of the Daughters of Divine Charity in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to wish her a happy Easter. And when I asked what she'd be having for dinner, she said a restaurant in town will be providing about 70 complete meals, as they've done for years on end every Easter and on Christmas Day. She added that it'd changed hands several times over the years, and was now owned by a Muslim family, who continue to honor that tradition. Says a lot, doesn't it, about the goodness that exists in every religion?