Ironic...

Today is Easter... to some, the holiest of Christian holidays. People spend time at church, with family, or in my case working... Yup.. I spent today working on the tolls. I worked from 7a.m. to 3p.m. Getting up this morning was a little hard, considering it was the last morning of my school vacation week... but once I was out the door I was rewarded by the sunshine, the fresh smell of the air, and the glistening dew drops hanging onto the grass... it was a beautiful morning. It felt like a new beginning of sorts because the spring, here in Maine, has been playing hide and seek with us... and this morning I felt like spring had arrived.

I worked quite a bit this weekend. Friday afternoon, before napping to head in for my midnight shift, I was looking for a version of the bible, online. I figured that there must be copies of the bible on the world wide web... and I was right. I have toyed with the idea of reading the bible... for a lot of reasons... one of which is curiosity. I have never read the bible. I have read passages, heard passages read... but that's about it. Mom participated in a few different bible study groups during her life, and she enjoyed it. I have been pondering, more and more lately, about church, religion, and what it all means... So... I have been thinking maybe I will start reading the bible.. not because I expect to have a moment where I am suddenly a devout Christian... but because I want to know what it says... I want to know what it is people are believing in... and if I can relate to it...

So...I had taken my laptop to the turnpike with me, with the bible webpages saved so that I could revisit them while I was working...figuring a midnight shift would be a good time to do some reading and thinking about the bible. Let's just say that I didn't get to it... I had other things to do... like watching television. I worked again today and had my laptop with me, and did start reading the bible. It starts with Genesis... about the creation of the earth and of Adam and Eve... I did not get very far.. because the toll was kind of busy, and I didn't want to get into it too deeply... so I read a few sentences here and there...

I am not sure how to read it... meaning.. when I read other books, I usually come at them from already knowing a little about the book, its plot, setting, etc... and also kind of knowing where I stand on things, so I can formulate opinions about the content of the book based on my paradigms... When it comes to the bible... I am not sure what knowledge/experience I have that will allow me to relate to it... so... it makes me a little uncomfortable... but maybe that's a good thing... to not have preconceived notions... ok.. I probably do have preconceived notions... because I have had my share of doubts in recent years... but... I really don't know where I stand on many religious topics...

The most reading I have done about religions was in a college class... world religions... taught by a Jewish professor...taken in the fall, when many of our classes were cancelled due to the observation of Jewish holidays... I really enjoyed the class, the discussions, the debating, the various philosophies... so.. maybe I look at it from that perspective... that I am reading something that I am examining... and reading it to see what it's about, not as something that I do or do not agree with or believe in...

So while I am in the midst of reading a few lines from the online Bible... a patron comes through my lane and with his payment hands me a small bible looking book: Psalms and Proverbs from the Old Testament.....

Just thinking... no big epiphanies... yet... but... don't be surprised if I start blogging a little more about spiritual stuff... but don't be disappointed if I don't!