Wandering Along the Path: Right Speech

I grew up going to church, and as I grew older, often went to sunrise service on Easter morning.  My parents went to church that morning with us, although normally they didn't go to church often themselves, but sent us to sunday school and bible camp in the summer.  We had a big meal Sunday afternoon with ham and potatoes and coconut cake.  They hid eggs for us to find and we found Easter baskets that morning, with chocolate eggs, peeps, chocolate bunnies and a stuffed bunny.  Some years we were given live chicks or ducks, which we kept for a few weeks then my dad took them to a farm, where we could go and stand at the fence and try to pick out ours.  But I also loved the Easter outfits my mom made for us, and the parade of hats at church.  Last night my husband and I watched "Easter Parade" with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire.  I don't like the story much, but bowed to my husband's desire to see it.  There really still is a hat tradition, and until Bill Cunningham died, he documented it in his famous photos of Manhattan streets.  This is all in contrast to the celebration of spring, with all the elements borrowed from pagan traditions, and as a symbol of birth and growth and flowering, Easter sunday is a delight.  This year we all celebrated separately, but walking we could see nature bursting it's seams with joy.  And some of that joy rubbed off on us.