Easter Bunnies, Neil Gaiman, and Authors who make a Difference

If Christ be not risen, then our faith is in vain, St. Paul says. I believe. Help my unbelief, we pray. Where can faith come from, if not from God Himself? I am deeply grateful.

Happy Easter!!! Alleluia!!!

I'm glad I took a picture of these chocolate bunnies before the ears and bobtails got eaten ... right after we got home from Vigil Mass! We bought these not just for the chocolate but the little cage, just perfect for all the little animals my daughter plays with. Maybe a certain little hamster might also find himself in there ...

Since I cannot pass the bunnies around, I share with you a wonderful speech by Neil Gaiman where he pays tribute to three authors. I found myself smiling, not because Lewis, Tolkein, or Chesterton were my childhood fare (except for Lewis, I didn't discover the others until I was a grown-up), but because I also define myself chiefly by what I read. When asked to write a short biography introducing myself for the ICL course, I found myself writing of books and authors at critical times in my life -- Enid Blyton, Charles Dickens, Lloyd C. Douglas, A.J. Cronin, Ayn Rand, and finally the Bible -- books that changed my life and shaped me into the person I am.

So you can understand how I was transfixed by the first words that Neil Gaiman begins with:

"I thought I’d talk about authors, and about three authors in particular, and the circumstances in which I met them. There are authors with whom one has a personal relationship and authors with whom one does not. There are the ones who change your life and the ones who don’t. That’s just the way of it."

You can read the full speech here.

Please share some of the authors and books that have made a difference in your life. And if you've made a difference, don't be shy about crowing. Tell me!