So, last Sunday, for the first time in my life I experienced a conjunction of paganism/nature religion with Christianity in a place not filled with my closest and dearest friends. It was very exciting for me, and so I have to share.

The Sunday service at the UUSS was an “intergenerational” service, which means they wanted the children to be able to participate and follow the service. Thus, they designed one that was full of storytelling and music. The assistant minister (woman) and the worship leader (teen or young adult) acted out three separate stories in front of the congregation. The first story was about a seed that grows and changes into a tomato plant that bears fruit. The second story was—get this—the Demeter and Persephone myth, as retold for children by Starhawk. The third was the story of Mary Magdalen finding the stone of Jesus’ tomb rolled aside and the body of Jesus missing. The theme with all three stories was that change, transformation, and rebirth are good for us, and that Spring is an optimal time of year to embrace change and renewal in our lives.

I’m all for it. None of this stuff about renewal is a new concept. But a pagan Greek myth told in a church service? That’s a first in my experience!

UUSS also held an Easter egg hunt for the kids. The Women’s Ritual Group provided eggs filled with raisins and cheerios and little rolled up paper scrolls with messages:

Scroll 1: “To many people in the United States, Easter is generally thought of as a Christian holiday. But did you know that the word “Easter” never appears in the Bible? The name comes from an Anglo-Saxon (Germanic) goddess of spring called Eostre (Es-truh), as in estrogen (a female hormone). And, guess what—her symbols were the rabbit (Easter bunny) and the egg (Easter eggs).”

Scroll 2: “Easter is in the spring, about the time of the vernal (spring) equinox—a time of balance when night and day are of equal length. The seasons are reversed, or complementary in the northern and southern hemispheres of this earth. For example, when we have spring, the southern hemisphere is having fall.”

Scroll 3: “Many Christians believe that Jesus came back to life on Easter. Many gods before Jesus were reputed to come back to life in the spring, such as the Persian (Iranian) god of light, Mithra, who was born on—guess what—December 25, around the time of the winter solstice (longest night, shortest day).”

So, yeah. Out loud, in front of God and everybody—young and old—this congregation acknowleged the goddess and the appropriation of pagan symbols by Christianity. Neat.

I get to go work with grown-ups today! I’m off to Sac. Magazine to work for the day.

I don’t have the energy to write about all of it, but I do want to say we had a good weekend, even if it was rather full. We went to Ian’s mom’s house on Saturday, and saw Ian’s dad and his girlfriend on Saturday night. On Sunday we went to UUSS, and then went to my grandmother and great-grandaunt’s house to see all the crazy Merkels, Muellers, and Elams, and the many assorted hangers-on. Yes, kids. That’s two solid days of Easter.

The best part of Easter started late on Saturday night and resumed again early Saturday morning. Before bed, we put some carrots (with tops) out on our garden altar on Saturday night for the Easter bunny. We talked a little about the goddess and how this is a special time of year for her, and how she sends her animal, the Easter bunny, to visit and share her bounty and blessings with every child and every person. Eggs and bunnies are old nature religion and goddess symbols. On Sunday morning, Ian and I set the alarm and went out to the altar really early, in the damp. Later, Lucas hunted eggs in the rain and lit up when he found the altar full of goodies and flowers. We found the carrots were nibbled and only the tops remained. The Easter bunny had left gifts for us (colored eggs, plastic eggs with coins, stickers, some chocolate, flowers, fresh fruits, and a candle). Lucas carefully gathered them all into baskets. We placed the flowers in vases and he asked if he could eat the strawberries and grapes that the Easter bunny left for dinner later that night. It was fun and meaningful and it worked. We strive to carve out a tiny piece of each holiday to create and maintain our own Wilson family traditions, and to remake the holidays into versions that suit us better.

I am sorry that we didn’t get to see friends at the home of Parnasus, Samayam and everybody! I think that’s the only sad thing about the weekend.

Oh, and Lucas didn’t even ask me for a piece of candy today.

Just wondering if you have any opinions about Pilates that you are willing to share. Have you tried Pilates? How does it compare to yoga? Do you like it? There’s a class on Friday that I’m thinking of attending.

Also, I’m interested in yoga tape/DVD recommendations. Anybody know a good one?

Thanks!

They are snugger than when I purchased them, however.

This morning I walked Lucas to the Bennetts’ house and this afternoon I’ll walk back to pick him up again. It’s not much exercise, but it’s what I can manage today. I have work stuff to do and I shouldn’t be writing here right now. Yesterday in the early evening I planted 5 plants, and burned a few calories that way.

The Truth About Easter Food
+ avoided all breads, rolls, chips, cookies, candies, and cakes
+ ate lots of ham and salad and eggs
– ate some canteloup on Saturday and some berries on Saturday and Sunday
– ate 3 cream cheese and cherry tarts on Sunday. (I saved my carbs for those tarts, made by the lovely Tart Lady, Betty Broughton.)
– ate a small spoonful of baked beans – with sugar in them

I love it when my hubby is home during the week! I’m so much happier. Ian’s off work for spring break and Lucas has no school. Ian and Lucas are out at the Discovery science museum. They’ve done fun stuff this week like painting Easter eggs, going to Costco, etc.

Lucas is off for two weeks, so I’m not sure what I’m going to do next week. I have to kick butt on my article now to meet my deadline.

Yesterday evening the three of us got to do two of my very favorite things: We went to Capitol Nursery and bought plants for the yard (thanks for the gift certificate, MIL!), and we went to the library.

Taxes are done and mailed! Refunds are being applied to 2006 taxes, so I’m ahead of the game for this year. This feels very good. I am practically paralyzed by the fear of having a tax bill. My CPA has made this soooooo easy for me.

Easter craziness is right around the corner. We have a completely packed weekend and the forcast makes it pretty clear that it’s going to be raining on Sunday. I am praying that the weather gurus are wrong. I want Easter to be sunny and bright like it is today!

This is a boring post. Don’t have time for more.

What motivates you to do something good for yourself? How do you build good-for-you stuff into your life?

These are some of the questions floating around in my brain today. A little while ago I had a terrific interview with a UC Davis doctor on the subject of the benefits of exercise, even if you have significant health problems. We talked about the Mind-Body-Spirit connection, depression, and self-image. We discussed how it’s never too late to begin to exercise, or to take up exercise again after a long, sedentary hiatus or injury. We talked about how exercise can make us feel beautiful, even if we are only making small improvements over a long time. He says people begin to exude confidence when they exercise. They begin to see themselves as attractive beings: He has seen this transformation take place in thousands of patients of all ages, sizes, fitness levels, and infirmities.

Our talk was so great, so inspiring that I went to the gym immediately after we ended the interview. Nice! Points for Sara! 45 minutes on the treadmill (280 calories, hr avg: 162 bpm) some weights and sit-ups.

I’m working on making some positive changes. There is no question about how increasing my activity level and getting more exercise is a major component of the positive change that I currently crave. Now that it’s spring, I’m feeling the need to renew my (formerly) good habits and develop new and better ones.

I recently went to a conference and found myself in a workshop taught by a life coach. (I didn’t realize she was a life coach at first, or I probably wouldn’t have gone to her workshop.) Nevertheless, I decided to make the best of it. The workshop was on self-care. We did some interactive stuff, shared with our neighbors, and said affirmations, one of which was: “I am a more balanced, whole, and joyful gift to the world because I take care of me first.”

Dr. Davis said something very similar. He tells both his residents and his patients, “You can’t take care of anybody else unless you take care of yourself first.”

Yesterday I interviewed an 84-year-old woman who teaches yoga. She is awesome and my newest heroine. Maybe that will be me at 84.

I warned you I was going all new-agey.

Today, my darling husband is presenting new policies and procedures of his creation to his entire Sacramento staff. It marks the end of a major project that has been consuming his time and energy for 2+ months. And thanks to Ian’s brilliant mind and good connections, a team building consultant is coming to do some neat exercises with the staff. (She rocks!) Good luck, lover! I know you’re going to be great! Just stand in your authority.

It is I who must begin…

Once I begin, once I try—
here and now,
right where I am,
not excusing myself
by saying that things
would be easier elsewhere,
without grand speeches and
ostentatious gestures,
but all the more persistently—
to live in harmony
with the “voice of Being,” as I
understand it within myself—
as soon as I begin that,
I suddenly discover,
to my surprise, that
I am neither the only one,
nor the first,
nor the most important one
to have set out
upon that road….

Whether all is really lost
or not depends entirely on
whether or not I am lost….

—Václav Havel

I was pleased to see the mommies and daddies and have a chance to talk with them a little. So often during drop-off or pick-up, we are too busy hustling our kids in or out of school to chat a moment. Miss Jennifer really doesn’t want parents hanging around because we’re disruptive. But people don’t want to arrange play dates if they don’t know you. Anyway, it seems Lucas is fairly popular. No less that four mommies approached me about play dates with Lucas. Some of them said things like, “Lucas is so sweet. My daughter talks about him at home all the time.” Nice! One poor mother has to listen to her daughter talk about Lucas when she wakes at 3 a.m. I’m brimming with pride.

Anyway, Ian was able to join us at Ancil Hoffman park where we had a class photo, an egg hunt, and a potluck lunch. He looked so cute sitting on a picnic blanket in the grass and sun, wearing his fancy shoes, slacks, dress shirt, and tie! He was by far the handsomest daddy there.

The park looked glorious today. In fact, the whole world is sparkling and new-looking. Today, it actually looks like Spring has arrived.

Yesterday, Lucas came home with his Easter present from Miss Jennifer. It was a terra-cotta pot of growing wheat grass, with a tiny handmade, white wool bunny hiding in the grass. Adorable.