Lent and Easter week are difficult for me so you may just want to quit reading now. I will forgive you!
Today is Easter Sunday. To me it is the most important holiday of the whole year. We celebrate the rising of Jesus from death. This gives us hope for our own life and death and whatever it is that comes after our time here on earth.
But to get to Easter Sunday we must pass through Easter week and Lent. Ash Wednesday is no picnic. Having someone put ashes on your forehead and saying “From dust you came and to dust you will return” is just not a happy thought. Then there is Good Friday and the Tenebrae service where we follow all the horrible things that Jesus went though before he was actually crucified. Each event is followed by the extinguishing of a light so that at the end of the service there is darkness. I have lost my husband, my parents and my only sibling. Sometimes I just have to skip the Tenebrae service and this year was one of those years.
Thank goodness Easter comes in the spring. Otherwise I am not sure how we would all get through it. It is warm and the sun is shining. My flowers are blooming.
I took a road trip to the Mississippi as I do frequently now. This brings memories of the past however. One sees couples on motorcycles enjoying the weather and just being together. I remember those days. Motorcycles are not quite so much fun if it is hot or raining however. I love road trips. To me there is nothing better than being with someone you love and enjoying riding with the top down or the windows open and going somewhere or nowhere. Talking or not talking but just enjoying the time together. I remember many road trips to the Gulf of Mexico or to Pennsylvania or Massachusetts to shop for antiques. Loved those times. Easter brings back memories of loss for me. If you have families to celebrate holidays with, thank God.
Today was lovely. There were white pelicans on the river. There was also a muskrat which was swimming near me. River barges are on the river as are boats both for fishing and pleasure. Geese are very common on the river. It was fun to see that on top of each beaver house near Nauvoo, there was a goose. I suspect they are nesting on top of the beaver houses as well as in the nest boxes provided. There were also lots of ducks on the river. So glad to live near the Mississippi.
The moon has been absolutely lovely this week. Hope you got to see some of the days of full moon. The moon set in the morning was also breathtaking this week.
Though we had two nights of very low temperatures, think the only problem I had was losing the bloom of my magnolia. My peach trees were not yet blooming and my cherry tree looks like the blooms are ok. All the daffodils seem to have come through as have the hyacinths, Lenten roses and other flowers.
Picked up my taxes this week. Some good news, some bad.
Though I have a degree in physics, I am by no means a “ fix it” person. My TV acted badly several days this week. The signal broke up so much that one could not understand the audio. Know that most things can now be fixed by turning them off for a few seconds and then turning them back on. Pulled out the cable connected to the router and plugged it back in a few seconds later. For a while my TV said “no signal available” then it came back on just fine. Don’t know for sure if my unplugging it worked or not but now it seems to be Ok.
The Quincy paper carries a 5×5 each week. This is five questions asked to five people. This week’s questions were about Easter plans. When asked what those people were going to do to celebrate Easter, not one of them mentioned going to church. Just let that soak in for a while!
Though Easter makes me sad and brings back memories of things which I no longer have to enjoy, I know just how lucky I am. I have a home, food, a job I enjoy, friends and so much more. I had a husband for one third of my life. I had someone to walk beside me for those years. I suppose there is a possibility that I will find that again. If not, I have had it and there are so many who have not known that comfort. There are more and more single person homes now and I don’t believe that is a good thing but it just is.
May holidays not make you sad. May you have faith that there are even better days to come. Be kind to those around you. It is my understanding that what you send out often is returned to you. Happy spring.