I learned today that they celebrated Easter in Ethiopia yesterday. Apparently, Easter is a HUGE deal in Ethiopia - Praise God!
Ethiopian Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter anywhere from a week to two weeks after the western Church (sometimes, they occur at the same time, due to the vagaries of the Eastern Orthodox calendar, which Ethiopians follows). Fasika (Easter) follows eight weeks of fasting from meat and dairy. On Easter Eve, Ethiopian Christians participate in an hours-long church service that ends around 3 a.m., after which they break their fast and celebrate the risen Christ.
At this point, our baby is possibly still in the womb or possibly a newborn. I wish I knew. I wish I knew if his/her mother celebrated Easter yesterday. I wish I knew if they prayed for him/her like we did.
I was chatting with my very pregnant friend last night and she was telling me how hard it is for her to sleep because of all the punches and kicks and jabs she's receiving from the "little man" growing inside her and I couldn't help but feel a jealous twinge. As frustrating as those karate moves can be sometimes, at least she knows that he's moving 10 times an hour like he's supposed to, and every time her pants get a little tighter, at least she knows the baby is growing and getting adequate nutrients. Believe me, I've been there...three times over. I know her tiredness and weariness, and I'm not sure that I actually want to be pregnant again. The fact that I got through three pregnancies without a stretch mark to show for it is a miracle in and of itself (don't hate) and I don't really think I want to test that one, but I would give nearly anything to know that he/she is healthy and growing and thriving, even stretch marks.
As we sat around our dinner table last night, the five of us and the in-laws, although there were no empty chairs, we had an open spot, two on each side, except for one side, where Daddy had to sit alone. Can't wait until next year when that spot is no longer vacant. Can't wait until our dark skinned beauty has cheesy mashed potatoes smeared all over his/her face or makes a funny face at tasting the citrus glazed carrots or until he/she tries to pull the tablecloth out from under the fine china. Can't get here soon enough.
Hope everyone had a blessed Easter, that you taught your kids that it's not about the plastic eggs or the bunny, but that it is a time of great celebration with family and friends because HE IS RISEN!
Blessings.
Great post, Traci. Loved it. I can't wait either!
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