Springtime Celebrations

When I was a kid, like all children, I used to get very excited about my birthday. I was born on Easter and I would check every year to see whether my birthday would fall on Easter again. I was always disappointed. (I checked this year, though, and I'm only two days away, so that's pretty good.)

I trace my attachment to Easter to this coincidence of dates. It was helped by the fact that we never celebrated Easter in church, so I don't think of it as a Christian holiday. As a child, it seemed like a celebration of spring and new life, and it still gets me that way.

And right now in California, even with its two seasons of rain and drought, it feels as close as it ever does to spring. The wildflowers are blooming and the hills are properly green. We've also had some gorgeous weather recently.

Last weekend, my husband I went hiking out at the coast with my in-laws. We had a very nice time as we always do with them. Three of the 4 of us had cameras so it was a meandering walk involving a lot of pauses for photographs — I've attached a couple that I took.

I'm hoping to go hiking again this Easter Sunday — being outside seems the proper way to celebrate a spring festival. And while I have asked for no birthday presents from my husband, I am looking forward to this year's Easter basket.