Erika Rosenbaum Photography: Breaking Dawn

We have a beautiful tradition in our family. Every Easter morning we walk to the top of Mount Royal to watch the sunrise. This is my in-laws tradition, born of their catholic faith. I am not a "religious" person as such, but I love tradition and I'm quite enamoured by ritual in general. If it is meaningful to you, then I believe there is a lot to be gained from ritual. I enjoy the "buffet" of spirituality that I have access to (I play the Christian and Jewish card freely and feel a kinship to all who allow for the possibility of a little magic in the world). I like the ritual of blowing out candles on a birthday cake, for instance, and I even enjoy rituals that I've never participated in. I find the Buddhist path inspiring on a regular basis. Everyone picks and chooses to some degree, and I'm a big fan of choosing the rituals that inspire me and letting go of the rules that I have no use for. I am hoping to raise my children with a rich and diverse experience of rituals and ideas of faith. The most important notion of faith being that: everything is ok and we're all connected (roughly put).

I enjoy the Easter morning tradition because it is the only day that I drag my ass out of bed in the dark to set out and watch the sunrise. I enjoy it because there is music and singing before 6:00am. I enjoy it for the joy and hope that is in the readings we hear. I love the look on my father-in-law's face, when his family and loved ones are half asleep in the dawn-light and he can retell the story of the resurrection, just like he has done every year since my husband was a wee boy. I enjoy the bagels & lox we scarf down after the hike.

I've had a busy spring already so its a little late, but here is a glimpse of our Easter morning.