Unitarian Easter is not a big deal, although my cousins and
I dyed eggs, we had an egg hunt at church, and my parents gave me a basket
every year until I had Betsey, when they gave her a basket. I always made baskets for the dog and cat.
My friends got new dresses, but as my mother pointed out, it
was usually too cold for spring dresses and they had to wear coats. I wore my “nice pants” (the ones that weren’t
jeans – my mother was old fashioned that way) and whatever shirt was clean.
My grandmother or one of my aunts would have everyone over
for dinner. One year, I found a lamb made of butter holding a red plastic flag
and sitting in a bed of green Easter grass at the grocery store and begged my
mother to let me take it to the dinner.
She said, “All right, but let’s not tell Daddy.”
I asked why and she looked uncomfortable. “Let’s make it a surprise.”
My cousins loved the lamb, even after I told them it was
butter and not white chocolate, and my grandmother kissed me and told me it was
beautiful
The others weren’t so enthusiastic.
My father snorted and Uncle Hank said it was meaningless
superstition. Then my grandfather, who
had been raised an Episcopalian, but had broken his parents’ hearts by becoming
an atheist in college, said that Those People didn’t think it was
meaningless; the lamb represented Jesus,
who supposedly was killed for everyone’s sins so they wouldn’t go to Hell. He started singing “Oh Lamb of God/Sweet Lamb
of God . . . Oh, wash me in your precious blood . . .” Jessica wailed, “Oh, the poor lamb!” and
Jennifer started crying.
Aunt Pooh stepped in and said that even though it was almost
dinner time, we could each have one piece of candy. Jennifer wiped her eyes and said, “How about
two?”
We did get two pieces and no one’s appetite was
spoiled. The lamb stayed on the table,
but every year after that my mother went food shopping by herself around
Easter.
“Lamb of God” is one of my favorite hymns, although some
priests don’t use it for fear it will scare off newcomers. Cilla loves to sing it around the house,
although Betsey says she is a big moron who doesn’t understand what it means.
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