It always happens, round about now, that finally the ice goes away on the lake one block from our house. As of this morning there was still a big chunk out in the middle and funky ice formations on the shore, but in between the loons and mergansers are swimming around.
This is also the week both my children celebrate their baptismal birthdays. We break out the candles they received as infants, say a few celebretory prayers and try to do something watery, though wading in the lake is still rather uncomfortable. Some years this is the time we go buy the year's new swimsuit (but not this year. . . I can't bring myself to go shopping during Holy Week.)
The earth seems to go along with the convergence of events this year: Holy Week, Passover, and this year in particular, the dodecaoctannual ( I just made that up. . .every 28 years, I mean to say. . .) marking of the Jewish Blessing of the Sun tomorrow morning. For those of us who have endured a long winter and a cold spring, the light of this week is the most welcome reminder that, yes indeed, REALLY, life comes again.
