One of the things that I quickly realized once we had kids is that it's not possible as a family to have Good Friday as a day entirely devoted to prayer, spiritual reading, and the various observances of the day at church. The younger kids in particular have a pretty limited tolerance for such things, so rather than spend all day squelching them, we aim to cut out some frivolities (no TV, no computer games) and go just to the Good Friday service at the parish.
What we do often get done on Good Friday (and spill over into Holy Saturday) is a lot of work around the house. Cleaning. Yard work. Organizing. It gives small people something to do rather than fussing about their lack of entertainments, and there seems to be a certain fitness in making these "preparation days" for the feast to come in a household as well as a spiritual sense. My instinct is to focus on the darkness of these days, the events of the passion. And yet, this more prosaic approach which our state in life pushes me into holds another truth. Christ's death and burial is not an ending. He died to rise. The events of Friday are a preparation for the resurrection on Sunday. Now all the world is in waiting for the Savior to spring forth.
A blessed Holy Week to all of you.
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