Confessions of an ex-Jew

Today I returned to the trail head after a beautiful, strenuous hike. In the parking area, which also serves state park facilities, I saw a bunch of kids and some adults in various constumes, including Winnie the Pooh. They were walking towards the little outdoor performance area nearby. I asked a couple of adults what kind of show was playing. Behind a very creepy lion nose mask, a woman's voice said, "it's Purim!" She left off the "silly" but I'm sure that's what she was thinking.

I was happy for these people and their religous enthusiasm, or their eagerness to put on costumes and put on plays, or both. To me, however, religion is what I had just experienced at the top of that mountain that we had just descended.