Good Friday - Velika Petak

This has been one hell of a week. It is Holy Week, and Passover Week, and Stress Week - in terms of work and family. John's mother broke her hip on Monday, and for some inexplicable reason work has been unusually challenging....a perfect storm of family and professional trauma.

Today was Good Friday for those of us following the Orthodox Faith ("Velika Petak" in Serbian), which this year, coincides with Catholic/Protestant Good Friday. Usually, we are a week or two or more behind...but because of the way the full moon and Jewish Passover fell this year, we are on the same "Holy Week" Schedule. Very unusual. It will be that way next year as well. I do not like when it falls at the same time, because I like to buy Easter candy at a discount. Most years Orthodox Easter is later than the Catholic/Protestant Easter, and all the Easter candy is at least 50% off. I go to the local Fannie Mae store and clean up.

So, today was Velika Petak...we went to the hospital to see John's mother (who looked so worn out from PT) and then to the Church for a fish dinner, which they did not have on Good Friday, which they have on almost very other Friday of the year, but not tonight which makes no sense at all because if you are going to serve a fish dinner, the one day of the year when it makes perfect sense to do so is on GOOD FRIDAY...

Anyway......we went to our Kumovi/Friends' house, after stopping for fish and ajvar and other fasting-appropriate foods to share with them. We had a few drinks there, and a really nice time.


Then we came home. John fell asleep (he has been under a lot of stress lately) and I went out to feed/spoil our animals.

It is unseasonably warm in Northwest Indiana right now. It has been about 80 degrees in the daytime -- the normal is about 50 or 60 degrees.

So I am outside, giving treats to the goats and horses, spoiling them with extra hay, and I notice The Girls are really shedding. So I decided to curry them. It is amazing how much hair comes off of them this time of year. We have had these horses living with us for a decade now, and it is always shocking how much hair they lose every Spring. I got the curry comb out and started in on them. It was such a special experience -- dead of night (around midnight), no one around, just me and the animals.

I curried away, and got off enough hair to make a blanket. Time wore on....Divna decided she was ready to sleep, and she walked far downfield.

The moon was out....the temperature was comfortable. I followed her. She was standing beneath the evergreen tree. I walked up and stroked her mane. Then, I laid on the ground a few feet from her. She turned, walked over to me, and ran her muzzle over my feet and lower legs, then stood beside me. I looked up at the stars, listened to the frogs croaking, felt the cold ground beneath me and the warm air above me. It was wonderful. I could see Divna's strong profile in the moonlight. She was beautiful, the night was beautiful, the spiritual significance of the week was powerful.....

I was aware of the fact that if I continued to lay there, that it would most likely be where I was "found".....the ground was cold, and it is still early April in the Midwest. I believe they call it "exposure." It was tempting....looking up at the stars....looking at my strong, beautiful horse in the moonlight..........................................realizing everything could be over in a few hours....

But I got up, came in the house, looked at my wonderful, loving, sleeping husband, and then wrote the most honest post I have ever written.

It is Easter and Passover. The Golden Rule applies. Bless all of you...