Easter treats

We've been out of town for a few weeks on vacation, and it seems like forever since I have blogged. We were originally supposed to be back in town tomorrow, but I get a little antsy toward the end of vacation, so we came back a couple days early.  The fridge was empty so I used the opportunity to clean it before I restocked.  I totally despise cleaning out the fridge, but I so love the end result.   I timed myself - it took me 50 minutes to clean it out, top to bottom.   I guess I need to make time to do it more often.   We usually celebrate Easter by having my family over, but since we were supposed to be out of town, everyone has other plans.   So we are going over to our neighbors for some ham - we bought half a pig together last fall, and so we have a ham to eat.  

Despite popular opinion, Christmas is not the holiest day of the year for Catholics....it's actually Easter.   A popular Polish Catholic custom is to have your Easter food blessed by your priest.

It being Easter, I thought I would include a picture of Jesus that I have been seeing around all over the place lately.   It depicts the vision a Polish nun had in the 1930s, when Jesus instructed her how to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is a Catholic devotional prayer sequence that can be said on rosary beads.   I've been seeing this picture of Jesus everywhere lately - first I saw it in Polish Catholic churches, then I saw it as a screen saver on my Pakistani computer support guy, then a cubicle of a Lithuanian friend (St. Faustina had her vision in Lithuania).   I've never said it but I think I will give it a try this year....on Divine Mercy Sunday, which is the 1st Sunday after Easter.  

Tomorrow, for Easter, I am going to make some of my favorite standbys....my best ever lemon meringue pie and the kids favorite, ribbon jello.   I didn't dye any Easter eggs this year, but if you did and you have leftovers, may I suggest pickled eggs?

Whatever your beliefs, consider the closing prayer of the chaplet, which requests...

Look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your holy will, which is love and mercy itself.

Happy Easter!