Family members prepare for Easter

Easter is coming up, which means another occasion for us to catch up with family, friends, and neighbors.

Actually, it all began on Palm Sunday last week.  This is a Christian holiday commemorating the arrival of Jesus Christ in the city of Jerusalem for trial in front of the Roman judges.  It is called such because his followers waved palm fronds as he rode on the donkey.  Catholics also consider it the start of "holy week."

Tonight, we had a special church service in honor of Good Friday.  We began by looking at scenes from Mel Gibson's masterpiece The Passion of the Christ, which came out in 2004.  Of course, the kids cried at some of the scenes, but in the end we talked about what the images meant and it all made sense to them.  Ralph had a special message after that, reminding us of the significance of the crucifixion and how it helped us get through the tough times we experienced on Earth.

This coming Sunday, we plan to begin very early in the morning with a sunrise service.  The timing symbolizes the new life in Christ that can be gained through understanding of the meaning of his resurrection.  For this service, we will be joined by Popeye's nine brothers and sisters, their spouses, and all their children, as well as Daniel and Laurie (Brandy and Bunky's parents) and Daniel's sister Dina.  In all, we'll see a little more than 50 people.  To give you an idea of how our transport system has regressed, Laurie has already left Chicago for a 700-mile journey by way of animal-drawn carriage to get here, which will take about 10 days to complete.  (Daniel will journey about two days from his home in Lincolnton.)  In the modern days, this was a two-hour plane flight from the O'Hare airport to RDU [Raleigh-Durham International Airport].  But at least I know Laurie stayed in the U.S. and did not move in with her ancestors in Italy, as I had suspected.

As much as I look forward to reconnecting with relatives I didn't know I had before moving into this next life, Brandy and Bunky's parents are ecstatic to see their two children again.  I fully expect them to also be part of our other celebrations - summer block party, Thanksgiving, and Christmas - in the future.

Oh, one more thing: Tune in this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET/PT for the season finale of our show Buddy Wayne: Coming Home.  On that program, see the debut performance of B.O.M.B., Bunky the One-Man Band.  It's the new musical act that Cousin Bunky created with the Christmas gift he received.