Easter Tradition: Seattle and The Spaghetti Factory

Many years ago, we'd taken the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island to share Easter brunch with "the cousins." By the time we headed home again, around 5 PM, we were hungry again and decided to stop for dinner at The Spaghetti Factory, a decidedly UN-Easter-ish place to go for dinner. Unlike just about every other day of the year, there was no hours-long wait that evening and we not only enjoyed our dinner, but we had a relaxed walk around downtown Seattle that evening as well. Thus, a tradition was born. (In our family, all it takes to create a "tradition" is doing something once and wanting to do it again!)

Easter doesn't seem to be the day of joy and re-birth in our family. Mom died on Easter morning three years ago, and now Gera's memorial taking place over Easter weekend just doesn't make Easter the most joyous of holidays. Plus, we're not exactly big on the religious aspect of it all. So actually it's just fine with me that the day be associated with a fun time at The Spaghetti Factory.

Instead of driving straight home from Oregon today, we called Peter, Danelle, Elisabeth and Aleks (who had been home all weekend, partying only minimally... the house still stands!) and asked if they'd drive into Seattle and meet us for our "traditional" Easter dinner at "Spag Fact" (as we've begun calling it). We arrived downtown early and spent some time at Pike Place Market, where flowers were in full colorful bloom, before heading to a dinner.

The events of this weekend made us truly realize the importance of family and as I listened to the hearty laughter and true joy of our family at dinner I took a mental "snapshot of gratitude" for who we are and the good fortune we have to share our lives together.

It all truly can be taken away in an instant and that is a sobering thought.