April fools...but not really.

Good afternoon! Ya’ll probably think this is an April Fools joke, right? Yet another month as slid by in a mess of working and playing and decorating and finally some family time this past weekend as we celebrated Easter. The weekend was cold, but Saturday was sunny and it made me anxious for spring…spring cleaning, new beginnings, baseball season, grilling out on the deck, etc. And part of new beginnings is a renewed commitment to blogging….hopefully. I’m aiming to blog five times this week, even if it’s just a short and sweet update on the week. So here we go.

I’m particularly excited for a blog update coming later this week with a review of Shauna Niequist’s newest book, “Bread & Wine.” I was lucky enough to get an advanced reader copy in exchange for a review on my blog, and I just can’t wait to share this collection of essays with you. I love, love, love Shauna, and I love, love, love eating and community, so this book was a perfect blend of the kind of happiness she brings to my life. But that’s enough about the book for now. J

But while we’re talking about Shauna, I couldn’t help but think about an expression I’ve seen her refer to on her blog and in recent books: “thin places.” And Easter weekend reminded me how present these thin places are in my life. Thin places are the tiny spaces in our lives where the earthy meets the heavenly, where time and place seem to stand still, where the borders between us and the people we miss and the people we’ve lost seem just a bit more permeable. Easter always brings about thin places for me. Maybe it’s the mix of sorrow and joy we feel Easter week, or maybe it’s the communion with family, or maybe it’s just the promise of spring and change and new beginnings. But any way it happens, every Easter Sunday I stand in church singing some of my favorite hymns and I feel the presence of all the people I’ve been missing. Some are in far away states, some are friendships lost over the years, some we’ve lost on Earth. To me, thin places are both sad and happy. Reminders that life is precious and short, but full of joy and love. Which is just like Easter, a painfully slow and sorrowful week leading up to one of the most peaceful and celebrated days in the Christian faith. Truly, how great Thou art.

So this week, I’m getting back to basics. To cooking dinner and reading, to waking early and working out, to finding peace and calm in the midst of the lively world we live in. And hopefully spending a lot more time with you, blog, in the coming days.

To blogging and basics,

Lia