Happy Easter

Easter is always a time of hope and new beginnings even if you are not religious or even Christian. It is inevitably connected with Spring which universally signifies rebirth, revitalization, and positive expectations about the future. This year, the Pope is ailing, perhaps terminally, a woman's body is dying in a Florida hospital where her real personhood died 15 years ago, and the killing continues in Iraq. The national debt continues to rise, unemployment remains a national disgrace and Social Security reform is dividing the country. Where is our hope going to come from?

Well, there are baby steps toward peace in the Middle East, the rains have stopped in the Southern California hillsides, and the Tsunami victims are receiving unprecedented aid. Even in a world scarred with death and destruction, there are hints of greener fields to come. Let's spend our energy in nurturing that growth, not focusing on the dark side of our humanity which, unfortunately, often seems our predominant quality.