I grew up and became a CEO

I was raised Catholic. We went to church on Sundays and said a prayer before dinner. I didn't really mind any of it, but I also didn't really pay much attention. My clearest memory of church (other than the smooth, cold wooden pews we sat on) is of my grandmother giving us butterscotch candies, Lifesavers and Chewels gum (remember that stuff?) during mass. We always went either grocery shopping or to brunch right after, both of which I loved. I generally have fond memories of going to church with my family. We were one of the few families with 4 children, and I always garnered a kind of pride from that. I liked dressing up, listening to the music & singing, and (always the voyeur) enjoyed watching all of the other families interact. Sunday mornings were special, and I guess overall I enjoyed the ritual.

The only exception to that was my mom's insistence that we observe Good Friday. We had to sit in our rooms in silence from noon until 3pm -the hours that Jesus was on the cross- without books, toys, etc. (on a Friday afternoon in Spring when we were off school, no less!) I distinctly remember disliking that. We weren't even supposed to nap (although I suspect that might be what my mother was doing, and I can hardly blame her - that might have been the only 3 hour break she got each year when all 4 of her children were quiet at once.)

I remember her commenting on how crowded the church always was on Christmas and Easter. She would jokingly say "Look at all the CEOs - Christmas-and-Easter-Onlys." She was right - the parking lot was always jammed and sometimes there was standing room only in our very large church. I remember wondering why these people bothered to go to church on just those holidays, and as an adult I think have a pretty good understanding of the myriad of reasons why. It doesn't bother me in the slightest and I think it's sad if regular church goers allow themselves to be upset by the influx of worshippers on specific holidays. After all, it just makes the celebration that much larger and we aren't supposed to judge, right?

At some point we'll decide what kind of religious education our children should have, but I have a feeling it will be based much more on spirituality than following any particular doctrine. I'd like to get The Golden Rule imprinted in them and to foster a sense of awe, wonderment and reverence for the universe as a whole. But other than that, they'll just have to join the ranks of everyone else who is searching for meaning in this thing called life.

The last religious thing we did with Sadie was Christmas, and I did make a point to explain that it was "baby Jesus's birthday and that he was a very special boy who loves us all" (or something like that). I admit that I'm undecided about how to present the meaning of Easter to a 20 month old, but tonight I am putting together an Easter basket for her.

I guess I'm a CEO.