Sunday, March 27, 2005

“In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible.”

The Movie: The Lion in Winter, 1968 (James Goldman, screenwriter, from his play; Anthony Harvey, dir.)
Who says it: Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Aquitaine
The context: Eleanor spars with her estranged husband, Henry II (Peter O’Toole), over the succession to the throne.
How to use it: General commentary.

Easter was always my favorite holiday as a child, though I was skeptical about the Easter Bunny. Easter required new clothes, and a hat -- I've always loved hats. Easter meant jelly beans, and church at Easter was much more interesting than church at other times of year.

What I liked most about it, though, was that Easter was the time of year when my extended family most often managed to get together. Easter took a dark turn in 1998, when my grandmother died and Mom got sick. The extended family got together then, of course, and that's the great comfort of funerals (Lyle Lovett sings: "I went to a funeral/Lord, it made me happy/Seeing all those people/That I ain't seen/Since the last time somebody died.")

Easter is about family again for me this year, although most of my family is far away. But reunions are precious, no matter how few people they involve -- and the promise of Easter is that we will all be reunited, one fine day.

Happy Easter, everybody.

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