A most blessed Easter Monday  to everyone.   Triduum here was lovely, thank you, with lots of liturgy, lots of family, lots of food. I am glad that the Church states that evening prayer and/or Office of Readings on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night are not meant to be done by those attending church on those three occasions. I for one would not have had time!     Easter Vigil in our country parish was a thrill as always--nothing beats the sight of the new light leaping up to the vaulted ceiling of our pitch dark church.   We also made it to the late morning mass on Sunday to hear the gorgeously chanted  sequence between the readings:

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous: The Prince of life, who died, regins immortal. 

Then home to brunch, where we preface grace before meals by shouting The Lord is risen, alleluia! He is truly risen alleluia! This is the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad alleluia!  We'll do that before meals every day this week. It's just about my favorite Easter custom.

My second favorite is to live off leftovers from yesterday's Easter dinner for the rest of the week--a much needed custom after several days of much prayer, shopping, cooking, and not too much sleep. Think I'll go curl up right now with a good novel (G.K. Chesteron's Manalive, newly reissued by Ignatius Press), and if I lapse into a morning nap, so much the better.

If anyone is actually here today, share your favorite way to keep Easter Joy alive during this octave week. I'm always up for new ideas (so long as they are easy to implement for a happy but tired woman) for celebrating the best week of the year.