57 Random Things

Found here first on Expat Mom’s blog, and traced back to my SIL’s blog, here is a thoughtful little meme – a list of 57 random bits about me...

1. Somebody is BBQ’ing today. My father was an amazing grill master. I miss his BBQ. I want a grill.

2. I miss my dad and wish I could call him and tell him this. This March will be the 6th anniversary of his death.

3. March is the month of my wedding anniversary – 18 years this year.

4. I started a career and life of moving around before I turned 18.

5. I miss my home state of Florida – I miss the weather, the wildlife, and the water. Florida is a magical place.

6. I don’t think I ever want to move back to my home state.

7. I do not know where home is.

8. I do not care that I do not know where home is.

9. One day, I would really like to have a home… with a custom kitchen, lots of bookshelves, room for all sorts of crafting, and a huge garden with flowers, food, and maybe even some critters. But not yet.

10. I find it tough to adjust to each new, randomly assigned, home we find ourselves in, but I always enjoy the challenge.

11. I love to craft, and while I enjoy the finished products, I think it is the process, not the finished product, that I like best. I want more time to craft.

12. Having household staff ‘in my space’ annoys me, and yet I love to have the help. I haven’t hired anyone here yet, but will, to give me more time to do what I want to do – for my family, and for myself.

13. TV annoys me.

14. Except for movies and series on DVD.

15. I could have music playing 24hrs a day, except it interferes with the TV watchers in the house.

16. I also enjoy silence and the sounds of life around me. 

17. I’m Pagan, so the life around me is my church.

18. I wish more people were Pagan, or would at least ‘dabble’ in Paganism, to, perhaps, help them learn to appreciate the life around them, whether it is the land, the water, the animals we share this earth with, or our fellow humans.

19. I wish more people, Pagans included, would keep their spiritual beliefs to themselves and amongst their peers. Really. I believe you believe and am very happy for you. More positive actions please, less words.

20. I like words. The written kind, and love books. Sci-fi, non-fiction, military fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery… just about anything goes.

21. I love that our kids love books. Reading is such an important skill, and love of books feeds that ability like nothing else.

22. I wish I had more abilities. I wish my math were better, or my language skills, or my physical abilities. I need to accept that I do know a lot, and everyone has limitations.

23. My knees are bad, and my lower back goes out – both problems gained from military service. I hate that.

24. I am proud of serving my country, and will always have a soft, teary spot in my heart for veterans and people who serve… for our country, and throughout the world. It’s a tough job, but essential. Thank you!

25. I have been lucky to enjoy most of the work I have ever performed. It was very hard for me to quit to be a stay-at-home-mom.

26. Being a SAHM is the best and hardest job I’ve ever had.

27. My family makes me happy – even when they make me sad, angry, frustrated, worried, etc. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

28. Although I often worry that I am not doing things as well as I should… but I guess that’s normal, and it would be worrisome only if I didn’t have that worry.

29. I have extreme worry, as well as rage, as well as sadness, as well as happiness and giddy positivity. I probably should be medicated, but I like me how I am.

30. Except I think I should lose some weight and exercise more.

31. But I don’t care that I no longer have a 20 year old bikini body – I am no longer 20 years old.

32. I rarely wear heels anymore either. Today I wore moccasins and have happy feet.

33. I also wore a black t-shirt. While un-packing, I discovered that most of my wardrobe is black (or denim). Black is my favorite color. Perhaps I should expand my selection? I probably won’t.

34. I find that I care very little what people think of me, but worry what our kids think of what others might think of me.

35. I still do not want to conform.

36. I do not want our kids to conform.

37. Unless they want to.

38. I want some Rocky Road ice cream.

39. I also want a steak… bloody rare.

40. And while we are at it, a frozen margarita.

41. Later on, I’d like a small glass of good port.

42. My dad liked port, but not the good stuff. The good stuff is so much better. Did I mention how much I miss my dad?

43. My dad was an avid gardener, and this year I hope to teach my kids how to enjoy raising food in our backyard. I wish they could learn from their grandpa.

44. I love to cook, and want to learn to prepare more healthy foods from scratch, teaching my kids as we go.

45. I want to learn how to make more un-healthy foods too, like cookies and cakes and other fun recipes.

46. I don’t like most desserts.

47. Good dark chocolate is bliss.

48. I like quality coffee too. Essential bliss.

49. The spice aisle is my favorite place in the grocery store. Can goods and boxes are boring, meats are messy, and produce areas usually stink.

50. Bakery smells are also a favorite.

51. I hate shopping.

52. Somehow, we still have too much stuff.

53. Clutter drives me bonkers.

54. Clutter-y reminders of the places we have been, of our family, etc. are irreplaceable at making me feel at home. (It’s a delicate balance, and we’re not there yet in this house).

55. My favorite philosophy is about balance, “There is no light, without the darkness”

56. I don’t think I am well balanced, most of the time.

57. I am finally coming to believe and accept that I am not supposed to be balanced and in control all the time, life is not balanced or controlled. I’ll do best to just go with the flow.

My angels - proof

I've been trying to explain to the kids that our cats are not 'gone' but have instead, gone ahead. They were sweet and loving kitties and are 'angels in kitty heaven' now. A dear friend found the following artwork and sent it to us. Look and you will find our angels in this beautiful picture. (Thank you Leila! I love this!)

(Thanks to the artist - I am borrowing this without permission. I hope in this personal use, I can be forgiven.)

I do not have an answer to what comes after life - but I do not worry about defining it. I understand that some people take comfort in trying to define the unknowable, and that's a good thing, but to me, it doesn't matter. Why bother trying to put a label on it if there is no one to tell me if I am right or wrong? I'll find out when I get there. And, I cannot change it once I'm there. What will be, will be. Now, in this current life, I cannot see the afterlife, or touch it, or affect it... therefore I must believe that the only thing in my control, is this life, and I do believe that what I make of it, will translate into what happens in the next... because I do believe we have souls that carry on. I believe we have a responsibility to our souls.. and part of that responsibility is respecting the souls of others, even those who are not human.

I am not Christian, but I find a lot of lovely wisdom in the Bible. I believe my spirit should be inclusive, not exclusive, so I am pleased when I find solace in any religious and/or spiritual work:

From Genesis:

20 And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living souls, and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of the heavens. 21 And God created the great sea monsters, and every living soul that moves with which the waters swarm, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning a fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living souls after their kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after their kind. And it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

I have found variations of this verse using 'creature' rather than 'soul', but I also found this Hebrew definition:

Scofield Reference Notes

The sixth day: (1) the fecundity of the earth after the creative work of the fifth day.

[2] living creature

"Creature," Heb. nephesh, trans. soul in Gen 2.7 and usually. In itself nephesh, or soul, implies self-conscious life, as distinguished from plants, which have unconscious life. In the sense of self-conscious life animals also have "soul." See verses Gen 1:26,27 2:7,21-23. See Scofield Note: "Gen 1:26".

Anyone who has ever loved and been loved by an animal, knows that animals are self-aware and have souls, which should give us all a deeper understanding of our responsibility to our fellow creatures. I'm not suggesting we must all turn vegetarian or else go to hell! I believe that nature was created/evolved to be as it is and there truly is a food web that works... why fight our omnivorous place in it? But we should be responsible about our place in this web. There is plenty of room for conservation, and even more room for kindness.

The Holy Quran also speaks of the souls of animals and their afterlife:

There is no creature crawling on the earth or flying creature, flying on its wings, who are not communities just like yourselves - We have not omitted anything from the Book - then they will be gathered to their Lord. (Surat al-An'am, 38)

Do you not see that everyone in the heavens and earth glorifies Allah, as do the birds with their outspread wings? Each one knows its prayer and glorification. Allah knows what they do. (Surat an-Nur, 41)

Rather pretty to think of birds with outspread wings, in prayer.

I also liked this bit about animals in Islam:

The Holy Prophet(s) used to say: "Whoever is kind to the creatures of God, is kind to himself." (Wisdom of Prophet Mohammad(s); Muhammad Amin; The Lion Press, Lahore, Pakistan; 1945).

According to the learned commentators of the Qur'an Majeed….animals all live a life, individual and social, like members of a human commune. In other words, they are like communities in their own right and not in relation to human species or its values. These details have been mentioned to emphasize the point that even those species which are generally considered as insignificant or even dangerous deserve to be treated as communities; that their intrinsic and not perceptible values should be recognized, irrespective of their usefulness or their apparent harmfulness."

The significant point to note is that, physically, man has been put in the same bracket as all other species. The following Hadith leaves no ambiguity in the scene in which the Qur'an Majeed uses the word 'community': Abu Huraira reported the Prophet(s) as telling of an incident that happened to another prophet in the past. This prophet was stung by an ant and, in anger, he ordered the whole of the ants' nest to be burned. At this, God reprimanded this prophet in these words: 'because one ant stung you, you have burned a whole community which glorified Me'. (Bukhari and Muslim).

And while it is good to gain wisdom from those who came before... the wise and the learned and the time proven... wisdom can also be found, surprisingly, in some of the fluff-filled silliness that washes up in our email in-boxes. Take this example:

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, 'Excuse me, where are we?'

'This is Heaven, sir,' the man answered.

'Wow! Would you happen to have some water?' the man asked.

'Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up.' The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

'Can my friend,' gesturing toward his dog, 'come in, too?' the traveller asked.

'I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets.'

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

'Excuse me!' he called to the man. 'Do you have any water?'

'Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in.'

'How about my friend here?' the traveller gestured to the dog.

'There should be a bowl by the pump.'

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveller filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree. 'What do you call this place?' the traveller asked.

'This is Heaven,' he answered.

'Well, that's confusing,' the traveller said. 'The man down the road said that was Heaven, too.'

'Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope. That's hell.'

'Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?'

'No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind.'

Happy Hug Day!

Ok, maybe I am supposed to be saying "Happy Earth Day" . I know that the kids are having Earth Day activities, assemblies, pledge-taking, etc. at school today that might very well be interesting to blog about - if I would just wait, but no, my day started out with hugs and cuddles, so I'm going with the given theme.

Even the cat was cuddly and talkative this morning. The kids woke up silly and giggling. Brian insisted on sitting in my lap as I brushed and combed his hair - which is nice, but he's getting tall enough that I almost cannot reach properly anymore! Honor was a hand-holding, skipping, smiling, sweetie as we walked into school. Brian went off to his class, and Brad and I took Honor to the playground.

Not only was Honor a hug-monster when saying her goodbyes to daddy as he left for work, but also, a neighbor's daughter came up for hugs from both of us. Then, after Brad left, I found myself surrounded by 4-6 other kindergartners from Honor's class.. using me as 'base' for their tag game... and hugging on me! A couple are 'usual' huggers - the class is full of very sweet kids - but there were a couple of unexpected hugs today. Did I need hugs? Did they? Or is there just something in the air that makes it a day to hug?

By the time I left the school to walk home - and I was only there all of about 10 minutes - I was full of sweet little hugs and smiles! What a way to start the day! My walk home was very pleasant as well. Blue sky. Warm air (although it is slated to be darn hot later, it was pleasant at 8am). Flowers and birds. Looking at the life around me, and feeling the happy hugged thoughts inside of me, thinking of Earth Day... I was reminded of this little snippet I wrote when Brian was just a little guy. We'd had a nice afternoon outside, and he had been a state of gleeful, unabashed nature appreciation - enjoy:

Toddler Tree Ritual
Location: any nice group of friendly trees
Time: whenever
Method: Insist on going out to play, even in spite of a little rain. Find your local grove of trees. Grab mom by the finger and insist she accompany you to the chosen location. (especially if you're not allowed to cross the parking lot by yourself!) Approach the first tree and give it a few pats hello. Proceed to run as fast as you can around the tree (15-20 times), and pronounce your joy with loud squeals and laughter. When the next tree beckons, run over and repeat the greeting, the circling, and continue to share your happiness with all. If you fall down, be sure to share the earth kisses that have made their way on to your hands, with mom, by smearing them muddily and lovingly on her jeans. Continue this ritual until you are tired, then sit with mom in the juniper, hold her hand, point at ants, and watch the world go by.
Equipment: a small Ernie toy was sacrificed to the deepest bit of the juniper but this is not necessary.
Usage: warms mom's heart, cheers her like you wouldn't believe!!
Creator: my 15mo old 'Druid'

Happy Earth Day - may it be hug filled and naturally blessed!

2 by 2

And they came, two by two, to view the baby Jesus, and hang out with Shrek...

Sure, it would have been nice to have posted Christmas-y pics closer to Christmas, but the internet has not been cooperating. This picture of our unconventional and ever-changing nativity was too much fun not to share. I about spilled my coffee when I first saw the Ogre had joined the group in adoration. Well, why not ogres.. they have layers, right?

And why do we have a nativity set anyway? We're not Christian. We are trying to raise the kids with a good sense of God though, and an open-minded acceptance of all religious paths. We want them to have a good foundation of morals and values, an appreciation and acceptance of all forms of spiritual expression, and true belief in the divine. With this background we think they'll be able to find the religion that fits them best, and truly works for them, when they are old enough to know who they are. The details do not really matter - all religions are faulty by nature. Made by humans, and humans are not the perfect ones. Religion is just a tool we use to communicate with the Spirit, and so it is good to learn that all of man's religions have good and bad parts, true and false, etc. It's also important to learn that we do NOT have all of the answers, and we do NOT know what the true path is - only God knows that, and in my opinion, I think God is great enough to have made more than one true path. He made us all different, so, why not? We try to teach the kids a bit about everything as we come across it. They'll figure out the path that fits them best later, and, hopefully, will follow it truthfully while retaining a love and respect for other paths too. Anyway, a nativity set is a good, hand's-on (you better believe I got a set the kids can play with - clay breaks, but glues well too!) learning aid for Christianity. Ok, Shrek is a stretch... but we have to believe that god loves us all. Even ogres.

Freedom of Religion in the US - it's about time

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, but I'm thinking about this today, so I'll start early to get you all thinking about this important day too.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

Sometimes, in the US, we take our freedoms and rights for granted. Often, we do so to such an extent that we do not notice when others in the US continue to face institutionalized bias and prejudice. It's easy to understand. We believe that our laws cover us, right? I mean, how often do we read that it is it wrong to "discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, skin color, religion, gender, or national origin"? It's everywhere! Wander over to the wiki page on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and peruse a bit of history. Looks pretty good, and there are, clearly written, exceptions, but in this day and age, are people really hurt by that stuff. Does institutional discrimination against religion still occur? You bet it does.

In the year 2002, a World War II veteran, PFC Abraham Kooiman, who had been awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart, passed away. He was interred in Arlington National Cemetery, and his wife, like many other military spouses, applied to the VA for a headstone. Eligibility for a VA marker is stated as follows: "The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) furnishes upon request, at no charge to the applicant, a Government headstone or marker for the unmarked grave of any deceased eligible veteran in any cemetery around the world, regardless of their date of death. The VA may also provide a headstone or marker for graves that are marked with a private headstone or marker, for veterans that died on or after November 1, 1990.". However, although he met the eligibility requirements, the request for PFC Kooiman's headstone, with his emblem of belief, was denied. Why? Because of religious discrimination. PFC Kooiman was pagan.

To put it very simply, the VA has the authority to decide who has a valid religion, and who does not. Oh, they might argue against my wording here, but the reality is, if your symbol of belief is not on their approved list, too bad for you. They can discriminate against you. Oh, and you do not actually have to have a "religion" to be on the list... the symbol for Atheist is on their list, #16, and has been there for a long time... but if the VA does not approve of your religion, you are in for a legal battle. The battle for the pentacle took ten years. Much too long, in my humble opinion. Not only because of the shame of living with the hypocrisy... our soldiers can claim the religion they want whilst alive, they may proudly display it on their ID tags and practice their beliefs on active duty - but the VA does not have to honor them in death. This was shame enough. What is saddest to me though, is that although this particular legal battle ended in success in April of 2007, Mrs. Rosemary Kooiman passed away in March of 2005... the only pentacle she ever saw on her husband's headstone was an emblem, a sticker of protest, taped on the front his empty headstone.

I will not fill my blog retelling the history of the Pagan Headstone Campaign, the Veteran Pentacle Quest, or whatever name people wish to remember this particular fight under. This particular chapter is finally closed and the Wiccan Pentacle was finally included in the list of approved emblems by the VA. A very significant individual in this closing act, was Mrs. Roberta Stewart, wife of Sgt. Patrick D. Stewart who was killed in action in Afghanistan, and officials of the State of Nevada, who determined they had authority over State Veteran cemeteries and approved Sgt. Stewart's marker. Please visit the Circle Sanctuary page on the pentacle quest for more articles, history, images, and news articles.

I must share this quote:

John W. Whitehead, President of the Rutherford Institute, wrote in his June 5, 2006, editorial on Christianity Today's website, "Although our country was founded on a Judeo-Christian base, the Framers of the Constitution understood that religious freedom was for everyone, not just Christians. In other words, the only way that freedom can prevail for Christians is for Christians to stand up and fight for the minority beliefs and religions of others."

If only we all could display such tolerance! The world would be a much kinder place.

Also, drop by the VA website to view a list of 'approved emblems of belief'. True, the title of this page does say 'available', not 'approved', but scroll on down the list. Yes, that is the Wiccan symbol, finally, at the end there. But look further. Notice the fine print: "No graphics (logos, symbols, etc.) are permitted on Government-furnished headstones or markers other than the approved emblems of belief, the Civil War Union Shield, the Civil War Confederate Southern Cross of Honor, and the Medal of Honor insignias."
Did you see your emblem of belief as you scrolled down? If you are a member of a mainstream religion, you probably did. Lucky you. I'm a veteran, a Druid, and my symbol is not on the list.
The Awen

So, tomorrow, if you are off work for Veteran's day, first of all... enjoy the free day! Go shop, BBQ, do nothing, be free... that's what I'm doing! But remember our veterans. Think of our soldiers - past, present, and future. Reflect on our recent election and the historic relevance of our selecting President Obama. Think of the light that he has shone - full of hope and promise - his mere presence in the campaign a reflection of how much we have grown and changed as a nation, and we have, grown and changed, but let's not forget that we still have far to go. There are still pockets of bias, prejudice, and discrimination that should not exist. Keep this in mind, and have a blessed Veteran's day.

Support our heros... all of them.

Astrology

For my blog friend and fellow crustacean :-) Mama Seoul.


I do not understand much about astrology... numbers and dates...eep! What kind of pagan am I anyway?? Not very mathematical or detail oriented, that's what kind! But I find astrology fascinating because it can be so very accurate. I became a believer after our children were born and brought their personalities into our lives. They fit their sign types so well - it's amazing to me! I may never understand how it all works, but that's ok, it's still interesting.

Here are some good links to play around with:

Evolving Door Astrology. Look for the the definition of your sign and those of your loved ones.

Aries - Traits for the sign of Aries are: pioneering, direct, courageous, fast, enthusiastic, on the move, wilful, flirtatious, youthful.

Capricorn - Traits for the sign of Capricorn are: structured, cautious, responsible, leader/authority, realistic, serious, ambitious, logical.

Guess which one of the two signs above goes with which kid? Brad and I are both Cancer.

Cancer - Traits for the sign of Cancer are: nurturing, intuitive, feeling, caring, heartfelt, protective, family/home oriented.

Now, if you want a really in-depth astrology chart (free- so many others charge) and explanations, try Astrolabe. I think the similarities of these readings, to the real personalities of my loved ones, is striking.

More fun with Chinese horoscopes. Those nifty little placemats in Chinese restaurants that tell you what your Chinese sign is by what you you were born in, may have been fibbing. The Chinese new year doesn't always match up with the western new year, and did you know, you also have a sign for the month, day, and hour as well.

Try this calculator: Chinese Astrology calculator. This just has the year, the animal and aspect, for example, Brian's aspect is Metal, animal is Dragon. Brian actually has 3 dragons in his chart... based on his year, month, day and hour - and yes, it fits him perfectly.

This page has good, basic, definitions too: Chinese Astrology Year Chart.

This website has a calculator for your four pillars. You will need your birth time.

Have fun exploring! :-)

(btw... Brian is Capricorn, Honor is Aries. I bet you guessed correctly.)

Picture credit to: Astrology Weekly

My faith in her faith

Once upon a time, my mom had me attend her Southern Baptist church. The close-minded fundamentalism of that church clashed so badly with who I was, that not only did I leave it as soon as I could, I also tried to turn my back on everything spiritual. Didn't work. To make a long story short, I found too many miracles in life and nature for that to happen. Maybe one day I'll say some things about Paganism and Druidry, but in the meantime, I'll just say that while it is still not my calling, I've made peace with the religion of Christianity, and understand now that my problem was not with the religion, but with a certain set of it followers.

I read my sister-in-law Christine's blog tonight and her words were like going to church. A good and uplifting service. Not one of those, well, other types... (be good!) I am so happy for her, and for the strength she gains from her faith. We live far apart. No phone calls or regular visits. I've been very worried about the stress and worry that she and her husband must be going through as they work on an international adoption. She entitled this blog entry "God's Promises , and that is what she spoke about, but it was also a clear and strong testament to her faith. Reading it immediately lifted from my shoulders, much of the burden of worry I had been carrying for her. I know, that she knows, that she has someone stronger to carry all such burdens for her. Of course, I knew of her faith before, and that was always a relief, but this new affirmation strengthens my faith in her. I am still going to worry and pray for her and their new son(-to-be), after all, that's my job as SIL and aunt! But less so, as of tonight.

It is wonderful, isn't it? That the strength that she shows in her faith, can strengthen my faith, in her, and in general, and bring me such peace? To me, it's akin to proof that giving out free smiles, hugs, and other random acts of kindness, really does make positive waves in the world. Christine rippled the pond by throwing out a pebble of faith. Let the waves spread. Thanks sis :-)

Why does a Pagan mom want to celebrate Easter anyway?

Well, firstly, and most superficially, because it is part of our American and family culture, I grew up with it, it is fun, and friends and family celebrate.

Secondly, and most importantly is for religious reasons. We are raising the kids to be respectful of and accepting of, all religion. As they say in Islam, La Allah illa Allah, there is no God but God. I believe in that. I also believe that it is us, humans, who screw things up by fighting over who is right and who is wrong when it comes to the other details and their interpretations. I believe we all worship the same divine spirit - we merely use different words and names. Another saying, as seen on T-shirts, is God is great, it is His fan(atics) that scare me.

God is great. I believe that He is all-knowing. I also strongly believe that humans are NOT all-knowing. While I believe it is important to follow your faith, I also believe it is good to accept that God has plans that we cannot, and are not meant to, understand. Just as He gave one person light skin, and another dark, or one person a liking for ketchup, and another for hot sauce, I also believe that He gave each of us different spiritual need as well, and therefore, the path that is true for one group to follow, is as legitimately true as the path he put another group. Therefore, I do not believe that you can force someone, not even your own children, to follow a religious path that does not fit who they are. We must provide a good foundation, good education, good examples, and let them choose which way to go - when they are ready, when they know who they are going to be for the rest of their lives.

If Brian and Honor choose to follow a Pagan path, or other non-Christian religion, well, having followed this fun (yes, commercialized, but warm, family tradition, nonetheless) mostly Christian celebration will have done no harm, and will hopefully, provide a positive association with Christianity. If they do choose to become Christians, then they will have similar childhood stories as their peers.

It is kind of tricky to explain all this to them, at their current ages. And to explain all about the deeper meanings of Easter, Christmas, Ramadhan, and other religious holidays and celebrations - esp. since we do not take them to church or other place of religion. We try to teach it as a part of history. Give them the facts, and let them build on that when they are older and more mature. In the meantime, let there be magic, bunnies, eggs, and chocolate :-) !

Oh, and thirdly, because I like threes, Easter and Pagan history are tightly intertwined. As the kids get older, we'll learn more together, in the meantime, enjoy this bit of reading (click on the snippet below for more):

Easter: The Victory of Light over Darkness
Written by Misty-Eve
Sunday, 23 March 2008

Celebrating the Victory of Light. No matter by which name you call it, there are many religions and traditions that celebrate the victory of light over darkness. The Christian return of Jesus after conquering death fits this theme perfectly, but did it begin there?

Ironically, the name 'Easter' was taken from the name of a Teutonic lunar Goddess, Eostre (from whence we also get the name of the female hormone, estrogen). Her chief symbols were the bunny (both for fertility and because her worshipers saw a hare in the full moon) and the egg (symbolic of the cosmic egg of creation), images which Christians have been hard pressed to explain."

Easter morning began this year with Ramses and Brian waking us up at sunrise.
Honor was a little harder to rouse.
Oh good! It looks like the Easter Bunny was able to get past the soldiers and guards and come to our apartment! We told them that they would let her through, but the kids were a little worried. They both adored the baby bunnies entrusted to their care.

Easter festivities at our apartment are tricky because we do not have a garden to hunt for eggs in. Fortunately, the Easter Bunny has experience with apartments and is very tricky, and sneaky, when it comes to hiding eggs... even indoors. Here, baby Cinderella is an accomplice.
Brian digs through the brassware.
There was no bickering over who found what where, and they shared and traded for favorite color eggs as they hunted.
Look! There's even an egg in mommy's sandal! Silly Bunny!
Brian knows there's an egg close by and searches the RC car 'garage'.
Honor found the egg!
There's one!
So, did you have fun? I'll take that as a yes!