Dear Joanie,
Here I am in my Easter finery.
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| GG Katie; I borrowed the hat. |
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| Easter Brunch at the Carillon |
Today, we looked at pictures of you playing with your cousins at your grandmother's house. We had a quiet Easter Sunday. The brunch was scrumptious, with omelets, lamb, salmon, rice, carrots, salad, potatoes, stuffed tomatoes, cupcakes, neopolitans, croissants, coffee, and mimosas. Oh, and jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce.
As you can see, we are not wearing masks, although we wore them from our apartment to the restaurant downstairs. We're not entirely mask-free, but we're edging closer to that. I will, however, continue wearing my mask in the big stores, and Dougie will continue NOT going to the big stores at all.
Last night we were able to go to the Easter Vigil at St. Aidan's. It is our favorite service, although, of course, for most people, Easter Sunday remains the most attended. At the Vigil, we light the first fire of Easter, place incense in the Paschal Candles, hear stories of salvation history, right up to the present, repeat our baptismal vows, take Holy Communion, and shout the first "Hallelujah! of Easter. Before Holy Saturday, we went to the Good Friday service, a solemn ritual in which we hear the narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus in all its cruelty. We offer prayers for our broken world, and leave the church in silence. We often say that, as Christians, we are Easter people in a Good Friday world.
As we move toward your second birthday, we have endured two years now of COVID restrictions that are, as I said earlier, now easing up. From the reports I hear, we are encouraged to enjoy this time, knowing that it may not last given, the new COVID variants that keep popping up all over the place like kernels in a popcorn popper. We shall see. We are now all encouraged to get a second booster shot, since there is some question about how long the effectiveness of the first booster lasts. That will be a total of four shots.
Also as we move toward your second birthday, the world is wearied and worried. We have seen such injustice and horror in Ukraine, and gun violence in this country continues. Climate change is very real; in the West, we are still experiencing drought, with very little rain this spring. Our politicians seem self-interested and the movement toward regulating women's lives are frightening. But then there is this:
Just last week, the first black woman was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice: Ketanji Brown Jackson. You will know her name because she will still be serving when you are old enough to think about what happens at the Supreme Court Level. You will also learn how eminently qualified she is for the Court, and I hope you learn about those who supported her as well as those who opposed her.
And this:
We watch you as you grow into a little girl fully embracing your world with your strong will and determination.
We welcome also Baby Luca into this world.
We give thanks for your parents who are doing such an amazing job at bringing up our Joanie!
Happy Birthday on May 23, 2022!
Love,
GG Katie
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