A flicker of the curtain

I really need to dust off this blog and write about living in Poland, but the truth is, I've been so busy living in Poland I don't have time to write about it. We've been back for just under two months, and I'm already so immersed in the culture again, that I sometimes can't remember what it is about living in Poland that is different from living in the United States. Everybody speaks Polish of course, but everyone knows that and it doesn't make for interesting blogging.

And yet, it is Easter time, and there are some Polish Easter traditions that are worth noting. I missed Palm Sunday, but I have to write about that first, because you really have to see a Polish palm to appreciate one. "Palms" are made of woven stalks of wheat and grasses, and dyed in bright, pretty colors. They come in every size imaginable, from a few inches long, to over five feet tall. The tradition says that you carry the Palm to the priest on Palm Sunday to have it blessed, then keep it in your home all year to bless your family and protect them from illness.

A Polish Easter basket is much different than the ones we fill in the States, too. Special items for the Easter meal are placed in the basket, and it, too, is carried off too the priest to be blessed (usually on Saturday before Easter Sunday). I wish I had the time to elaborate and share pictures, but I guess I will have to save that for next year.

Spring is coming very late this year. The trees have not the slightest blush of green on them yet, and only a few brave crocuses have dared to bloom. But we have hope that spring wil actually arrive, sooner or later. And when it does, I will be able to find out what color peach trees bloom. There are two in my backyard, but we moved into this house in October, and live here only a few months before returning to the states for a full year. The buds have swollen so much that I check every day to if something is there, yet. I don't think I've ever seen a peach tree in bloom. What color are the flowers? White? Pink? Peach-color? We want to know!

Tomorrow is Easter, and we celebrate the resurrection of Christ--the true miracle of life. All the new life that thrills our hearts in spring pales beside this. He is risen!