The lily that Kelcie brought. (Thank you for reminding me of my Grandmother & old Easter traditions!)
So I have a confession to make: One of the best Easters I ever experienced was spent up at a beachfront house with 4 people who didn't do the whole Catholicism thing. Or the whole Christianity thing, for that matter. We spent the day enjoying God's amazing sand and sky, just taking our time. We made risotto (the stir-forever Italian way), marinated spareribs & portobellos, drank mimosas and used the sun-filled hours as an opportunity to be grateful for the chance to get to know each other better. Every year when Easter rolls around, I'm reminded that our celebration should be one we share with the rest of the world, and not just by the music streaming out of our church doors. It is so wonderfully amazing to me how much the YAG (and friends) community really took that to heart this year.
It all started when Jeff (re)offered his home as a location this year. He and his roommate had done a major overhaul to the backyard, and it proved a great place for people to gather as they flowed in and out of the house. Also, a it provided the opportunity for old hats and newbies to get acquainted using a universal language (that would be futbol!).
Kristina shows our newcomer (John) the ropes.
The backyard was also a great intermittent escape for those who spent the afternoon in the kitchen. I don't want to bore everyone with a minute list of each thing that was prepared (and the symbolism behind each dish), but I did want to mention one thing-- pumpkin kibbe. According to the Aussie-based Lebanese guy I co-opted the base recipe from, it's a very popular Lenten dish where he grew up as almost everybody there gives up meat for the entire duration of Lent. That said, have you ever tried to find a pumpkin (or even non-pie-spiced canned pumpkin) in San Diego in April?? I have. And you can imagine my surprise/Snoopy dance of joy when Daniel mentioned he just happened to have one in cold storage! God provides in sometimes the most obscure ways. =) The kibbe were small things, but deep-fried with great love.
Brian and Anne hard at work.
When you're trying to feed 30 people, though, kibbe only goes so far. Here are a few pics of our wonderful cook crew, who all pitched in to create a wonderful feast. Brian, Anne, Jake, Suz, Jeff, Kristy, David, Dre, Aaron, Anna, Daniel, Andrea (aka Priscilla-- confirmed this year!), Jen & Jenny all had a hand in prep, and I'm not sure if there was a single dish we prepped at Jeff's that was entirely the work of one person. They were joined by an equally stellar clean-up crew: Steph, Tony, Sean & Tara... *after* the earthquake. It was actually the first earthquake for a number of people there, and I'm glad that they didn't have to experience it alone. Interestingly enough, Dre ran across a reference to Revelations a few days later that said earthquakes used to be interpreted as a sign of God's physical presence. Sounds good to me. ;^)
Who'd have thought pumpkin goop would be so much fun (and so tasty!)
One last note about God's presence-- we placed a jar at the door so people could donate towards food costs, and actually ran over a bit. So a donation has been made ($35) to Mama's Kitchen, which delivers meals to people with AIDS or cancer. It's not 12 baskets full, but I'm glad that there was a tangible benefit to the rest of our SD community as a result of our celebration. You know, we sing in church that God is Love-- but love requires us to be in relationship to each other, in community. In the words of a good friend, it's something you "have to seek out and create." Looks to me like the YAGs (and friends) have started off the Easter season very creatively indeed.
- Shannon
This recap post and pictures were contributed by Shannon, our organizer extraordinare for the YAG Easter Dinner. Many thanks to all the effort she made to put together an amazing evening of tasty fare and great company!
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