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What to do on Easter when you're unchurched

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Contributed by: Dianne Lorang on 3/22/2008

So I know there are others out there like me, those people who no longer or never did attend church, not even on Christmas or Easter. Still I feel a bit lonely when I realize that a lot of people get or take Good Friday off work, and a lot more go to church on Easter and have an Easter dinner with family.

Notice I said "lonely," not "guilty." I'm way past that. I spent most of my thirties unlearning,unthinking, and unfeeling what I was taught as a child and young woman. I had to do this for myself because I wanted to be an authentic person. And to continue to go to church, to take my children, to keep the pretense going was dishonest. I admitted to myself that I never really believed what I had professed to believe.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not an atheist. I believe in God, just not all the extra stuff that comes with organized religion, such as the reason we celebrate Easter. (Although I'm told that Easter is the name for a pagan fertility rite.) I pray and mediate without having a formal religion to tell me what to believe or how to practice those beliefs. This has freed me beyond belief. It has opened my mind and heart to all kinds of possibilities.

On the other hand, it has robbed me of a community that I used to belong to along with activities that I used to enjoy. But I had to be true to myself. So I feel lonely, even though I know I'm not alone in this. I watched the other people at the grocery store today, wondering if they were all shopping for Easter dinner or if they were buying a ham, like me, because it was on sale.

So what to do tomorrow besides the normal Sunday things? Well, I could make a special breakfast out ot the eggs my grown kids and I decorated last Sunday. (Yes, we do partake in some of the festivities.) And then I might as well make that ham for supper tomorrow night. In that way, I can celebrate spring and the extra light in the day and all the blessings we have as a family and as a country.

Amen to that!

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Dianne Lorang

Littleton , CO

Dianne Lorang has posted 45 stories and 1 comment since joining on 9/9/2007. Dianne Lorang 's average story rating is 5.

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