Palm Sunday

I would have loved to title this posting "Balm(y) Sunday," but it wasn't to be. Especially for such a late Easter, this is a cold one. After my tour Sunday afternoon London turned gray and chilly for the rest of the week, but it was apparently even chillier here. So it was that this morning when I woke up it was snowing. Not much, and unless things got worse it wasn't going to stick, but it was snow regardless. A little hint of sun and blue sky soon after the service, but that was all. I hope the forecast Fr. Davis had for later in the week, of warmer weather, bears out. Otherwise it will still look and feel a bit like winter.

Still, we celebrated Palm Sunday in our traditional fashion, beginning with the Blessing of the Palms downstairs in the Parish Hall. The sharp-eyed frequent reader will note a change in the color of the walls -- yes, Rhonda and some of the youth repainted the Hall week before last. I had a photo ready for a blog entry about that, but there was no time in London.

Then we processed up to the Nave for the service -- spared by the snow, sleet, hail and other precipitation we often enjoy -- welcoming several local Lithuanian/Lithuanian-American guests on our celebration of the anniversary (by our church Ordo Kalendar year) of our first service with the Lithuanian-American altar from St. George's, Cleveland. (See last year's posts.) As I reported in private conversations today, we have received not only an altar but its history and that of St. George's, now intertwined into and recorded with our own parish history.

And thanks to Vilia, a few of us attended a party where eggs were being decorated according to Lithuanian customs. The basics seem simple enough, though a bit more work than American childrens' custom, and impressive results from those with more skill at planning and execution. It's been suggested we have a party/class to teach this Lithuanian skill next year at St. Bartholomew's. I am guessing this will be of interest not only to the children!