Easter Traditions

I remember when I was young at Easter time in our neighborhood, the priest used to come visit the houses on the block. They used to bless our house and all who lived in it. My mom always baked for the Easter holiday, come to think of it she baked for every holiday. She would make Riccotta pie and also my favorite thing, Easter Bread. It was so delicious, it was light and tasted more like a cake than bread. She would make the bread long, or round and she would even braid it. The house would smell like a bakery all week. We were not allowed to eat the pie or bread until they were blessed by the priest. We could not wait for Holy Saturday to come. My brother or I would be the lookout for Father to come down the block, we would count the houses before he would get to ours.
When he finally arrived, he would talk to Mom and ask how things were. He would talk to us about school. He always seened to know what went on in each of our classes. The whole time I'm saying under my breath, "give us the blessing already".. Finally, we would kneel and he would bless us all and the food on the table. He would say goodbye and go on to the next house. Before the door closed we would be eating the pie and I would be stuffing my face with Easter Bread. I smile now as I think about it...
P.S. The priest don't come by to bless the house and food today, some traditions just seem to get lost in time. I still get my Easter bread though, thanks to my wife. Truth be told she makes it as good, if not better than Mom.

Old Man

An old man was laid to rest this past Friday. To some he was known as a husband, a father, a Pop-Pop, brother or friend. To most others he was just someone who drove his car too slow, or could not follow directions, or was just a pain in the ass. This old man however, was a hero. He and many others of his generation spent a good portion of their youth in faraway places as France, Belguium, the phillipines, Iwo Jima or Okinawa. They saw things that were horrible. They carried on knowing that at any time they could have lost their own life. If you asked him why, he would say it was his duty. He knew his country needed him and tyranny had to be stopped. The real heroes were the ones left behind, he would tell you.

So the next time you see an old man, think of where and what his life must have been like, when he was young. Remember, you don't know someone until you walk in their shoes.