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Donut Relics

Dear Members and Constituents,
This week, sprinkled-in with spring break vacation, I had the opportunity to visit a traveling relic exposition. If you’ve never been to one, it is quite a site. Imagine one hundred and sixty golden reliquaries neatly arranged on 19 tables. Next to each, a brief fact sheet for the saint whose fragment of bone, flesh or personal belonging is visible through the glass opening. As I wandered the exhibit, I could not help but wonder at the large number of nearly two thousand-year-old remnants in the room. Yes, the fragments were, for the most part, very small, however the thought of actually beholding a piece of Dismas, the good thief or Mark the evangelist was humbling. And that’s just the warm-up. There were two special tables –with corresponding long lines. Unlike the rest, one was not allowed to lift these relics and time with them was limited to thirty seconds. I only made the line for one –which had bits of the crown of thorns, the spear that pierced Jesus’ side… and the Cross. Impressive.
Now, if you’ve never seen a reliquary, they take many shapes and sizes, but most of those at the exposition reminded me of golden donuts on pedestals (the relic at the center of the donut hole). This of course, infused the awe with a longing for Friday to come. And it has! This morning, the fact you’re receiving this e-mail from Jay Leslie (donut boy) means they’ve arrived (he kindly agreed to send this for me). And while I won’t be at my desk to chat with you, the bright side is there should be no long lines to get to the treat you seek.
Happy Friday!

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