Change of Season

Today we had the pre-Easter brass polishing session at the church. Normally during Lent most of the stuff would go back into the sacristry awaiting Maundy Thursday and Easter, but today there was a memorial service, so we put them out. The chancel had all the Easter trappings - flowers, white vestments, shiny brass (the altar cross looked especially fine). The sun was shining wonderfully, so it looked GREAT.

This is the second funeral we've had during Lent; the first one was the afternoon of Lent I and had all the trimmings - fully choral, the Bishop himself swinging a thurible, most of our assisting clergy vested in their Easter best (the deceased was one of our assisting clergy), and reception food that was outstanding even by St Spike's demanding standards. I have often been told that a funeral is an Easter liturgy, and have as a member of the altar guild dutifully hauled out the Paschal candle, etc., and stowed them afterwards, but really experienced it at that time.

Between those and the "Hymnathon" we had one Saturday, where I sang a lot of songs that have that word-beginning-with-an-A-that-Piskies-aren't-supposed-to-use-during-Lent, I haven't felt very Lenten this year. Well, there are other contributing factors - miracle babies, the weather becoming fine ... but roll on, Easter.

Palm Sunday weekend *is* a pivot for the season, but this year I got more than mental reminders that Easter is coming.

The Cycle of Life

We are having a baby boomlet at St. Spike's. This takes a bit of getting used to, because for better and for worse, we haven't been much of a "family" church, and now there's stroller traffic jams in the back of the nave, and the rocking chairs are occupied by actual infants being held by mom or dad. They are all just as cute as cute can be. I am looking forward to being an auntie surrogate (indeed, I am practicing on some of the older sibs).

About two weeks ago, the baby population unexpectedly increased by one. A couple in the church, who had made it known they were interested in adopting a child, got a phone call that apparently went something like "So, we have this baby, you wanna adopt him?" Cue the cross country flights, emptying of the parish "attics" for suitable baby gear, blog entries, dad-to-be walking around with a goofy grin and a stunned expression as he holds down the home front, and a lot of *SQUEEEEE* by a lot of people around here.

I couldn't stop grinning for a week. All babies are a gift from God, but this one really seems like a miracle.

I thought I had missed some clues by being self-absorbed in my own problems, but when I saw Micah after the announcement, I said (after the congrats) "I had no idea". His response was, "Well, neither did we."

And this past week when someone heard and tried doing some discreet questioning at coffee hour about just how they got the baby, someone else responded with a big twinkle in her eye, "The stork brought him!" And I said "No way, they found him in the cabbage patch!"

So, between baby fu, the weather warming up, and all the flowering things flowering (*achoo*), I'm not feeling very Lenten this year.