Sunny Skies (and Key Lime Pie)

Easter Sunday was absolutely beautiful in so many ways.

First was Easter Sunday service. Of course, the place was packed. I don't talk about religion much around here or anywhere else so I don't have much to say about it but I will say this: I don't think being a "Christmas and Easter" church-goer is bad. If it's the remembrance of the Resurrection that gets you out of the house and believing in something, I really can't see room to criticize there. I feel like there's a shortage of people willing to openly believe in anything so if it's what you do, it is worth something.

With a quick change of clothes, I went with some friends down to the Incline. There's nothing like serious oxygen deprivation and physical pain to help one reflect on Easter service.

After that I headed home to start making what would become the proudest moment of my contributions to Easter dinner. Key Lime Pie. And yes, it warrants capitalization. I've been working for quite some time on perfecting this and though today's wasn't perfect looking, it was perfect tasting. Due to the summer heat we're having in April, the top layer settled a little too much. Next time, I'll have to get it to the fridge faster I guess.

After throwing together some salad and potatoes, I was out the door to grandma's house. The family all packed in and ate. The figures are early but as far as I can tell, I personally ate enough to sink a good-sized ship. Everyone else seemed to have done the same so we decided to go for a walk to the park up the road. This is not normally something the entire family would do but I think a thread common to each and every one of us is to never waste a beautiful day by sitting inside. We had a great time at the park. Playground swings hurt my butt a lot worse than they used to. Apparently, they're made for small children. The merry-go-round is also not a good idea after any holiday dinner. Still, there were moments from this day that will remain with me forever. They're the moments you make on purpose so that when you're somewhere alone and far from home, you have something in your heart that bridges every distance and fills every empty space.

An hour later we headed home from the park ready for dessert. I am more than proud to say that, thanks to me, my entire family is currently in a Key Lime Pie-induced food coma. It really was that good.

As the sun headed West, we packed up left-overs, said our goodbyes and hit the road. For whatever reason, I drove right past the left turn that would take me home and decided to cruise around the hometown for a while. The sun was starting to set, it was 70 degrees, the windows were down and James Taylor* was in the CD player. Ignoring the ridiculous number that is the price of fuel right now, I just drove around the city, not quite ready to let go of the ordinary beauty of the day.

When I finally made it home, I called the little sister. I miss her so badly on days like this. I want to send her the sun and the food and the feelings from today. She had a good day with her hub and the baby-to-be but I know she wants to be closer. I don't think we'll ever be okay with the distance. We just deal with it as best we can. And she makes me swear on our mother's life that I'll make Key Lime Pie when I visit her next month. Obviously that's not going to be a problem.



*Sunny Skies is a James Taylor song. The song is about a man who is not so sunny. At the end of the song, he wonders "if where I've been is worth the things I've been through." I would have to say yes, but don't miss those sunny skies.