Easter is the oldest and the most important holiday on the Christian calendar. It commemorates and celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It gives us all hope, coined in the lyrics of the popular hymn, "Because He Lives:"
"Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives!"
That message, along with the pageantry of spring flowers we are enjoying this year, the bright, warm sunshine of spring, the thousands of shades of green, as well as the bright displays of Easter candies and cakes, should provide ample reasons for each of us to express our own hallelujahs in our own way.
On Sunday, my brother drove me down several white sand roads through the flatwoods of home, and we spotted some pretty wild azaleas in several sports. While we didn't shout hallelujah, we pointed them out to each other and commented on their fleeting beauty. God provides us with so many blessings: the wild azaleas, the wild turkeys we saw pecking at green grass in a pasture, the flight of a white-tailed bald eagle overhead, wings spread majestically against a blue sky.
The warm embraces of friends and loved ones at a Sunday morning church service in a sanctuary reminds one of standing in front of the church many years ago in starched and ironed new Easter outfits, singing and reciting Bible verses. My cousin, LeAnn, once stated, "You boys had it easy. You weren't covered with starched crinolines over a new Easter frock, and you were wearing gloves and an Easter hat or a bonnet, but that was all but cutting off circulation." We were slaves to spring fashion on those spring Sundays, but when church was over, those linens, seersucker, white shoes, fancy socks, cotton and silks were removed to change into play clothes and the more important business to children of hunting Easter eggs.
I am writing this article on Palm Sunday. My heart is still singing, filled with the warm memories of many of my family members and friends being with me at worship service at historic White Springs Methodist Church. The beautiful flowers in our sanctuary, designed by Cathy Jo Foster, Sunatoons of Jasper, added to the beauty of our historic church sanctuary. Thank you, Cathy Jo!
Out at the Bullard Farm eight miles north of White Springs, my mind traveled 60 years in the past when, as children, we laughed, dyed Easter eggs, hid and hunted and hunted and hid, enjoyed egg salad sandwiches, chips, deviled eggs, an assortment of homemade picked, maybe potato chips, a slice of homemade coconut cake decorated with green colored coconut to look like grass, jelly beans to resemble Easter eggs, and surrounded at the base with yellow Peeps. No Publix Deli back then. Everything but the candy was homemade.
The Easter season...special indeed.
"You ask me how I know he lives?
He lives within my heart."
With great memories from the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, Happy Easter!
