Palms, Pennies, Pranks, and Pot-Lucks

Like the diamond, today is multi-faceted.  Christians celebrate Palm Sunday, Americans observe the Penny, it's April Fool's Day, and best of all my hubby's family is celebrating Easter.  In a couple hours, we three will be trolleying northward to join the feast of family and food.

Yesterday we put together a 7-layer lettuce salad and baked three dozen crescent rolls to contribute to the table. There is a spiritual undertone when each family brings a food they prepared.  It reflects the idea of how everyone adds their uniqueness to the clan.  Family unity is to be cherished.  Only when we don't have it, do we know how cherishable and perishable it is.

Our hostess is having an Easter scavenger hunt for the kids.  I'm anxious for this.  Watching the little kiddies scamper and hop around the farm yard like little bunnies can't help but bring joy to the heart and hope to the soul.  Guess that's what the Easter season is all about.

Usually hubby nails me with an April Fool's joke before I'm fully awake.  But, this morning I managed to get him first.  I told him I didn't think I was going with him to his family Easter.  It was that split second reaction I wanted, and boy did I get it.  Yippee!

Palm Sunday makes me think of gramma braiding the palm she'd bring home from church.  She'd tuck part of it behind a picture of the Sacred Heart that hung in her bedroom.  It stayed there all year long and would only be taken down and replaced with next year's palm.  This must have given her comfort and strength for her journey.  Bless her heart.

Now, how are we supposed to celebrate the Penny?  The only way I can think of is with a titch of humor....

Penny was a hard-working, conscientious girl, who lived on her own.  Her dream in life was to go on an ocean cruise around the world.  So, she scrimped, she saved, and she saved, and she scrimped until finally one day, she had enough money to go on her ocean cruise.  She booked passage on a cruise liner~first class all the way.  The cruise started off on a grandiose scale, dancing and parties every night.  But, Penny was a cautious girl, so she never drank, but just danced the night away.

One night, after they had been at sea for a week, Penny was walking back to her cabin, when the heel on her left shoe broke, throwing her off balance.  If that wasn't enough, the ship chose that moment to tilt to the left.  As a result, Penny was thrown overboard.  Screams were immediately raised, and after about five minutes they found Penny.  Hauling her aboard, the ship's crew realized that it was too late, poor Penny was dead.

Normally, they would have done a burial at sea, but as I said before, Penny was a very conscientious girl, and had written a will.  In it, she specified that she wished for her body to be cremated, and kept in a jar on her parents' fireplace mantel.  Her wishes were fulfilled, which just goes to show you that a Penny saved is a Penny urned.