Lent

Last year during Holy Week I was on the other side of the globe, fulfilling a dream of celebrating Easter in Russia. This year, my Holy Week was spent mostly at home, under the weather, quiet. Uneventful. Contemplative. A study in contrasts, to be sure. In Russia, I colored eggs the traditional way using onion skins for the dye.  Then I made kulichi, a special decorated sweet bread, used to give to friends and relatives along with the words of congratulation: Kristos Voskrese! (Christ is Risen). At midnight, I went to the service at the Orthodox Church — where the…