Easter

I remember when I was a little girl how much I loved Easter. Not because of the egg hunts and the candy and the family gathering at Granny’s.  But because it was the one day of the year that the whole family went to Church.  I always had a brand new Easter dress, something that was rare when I was a child. We were very poor and a new anything was a rare thing.  I loved going to Church and seeing all the people in hats and brightly colored dresses and suits. 

Afterwards, we would usually travel to my granny’s house in Wills Point Texas for Easter dinner.  My cousins were usually there and it was always a fun time seeing them again.  We would have a big Easter feast of ham and mash potatoes and always my granny would make banana pudding which was my absolute favorite. Once the meal was over, Granny would take a cloth tablecloth and cover the food with it to keep the flies away.  It’s a wonder no one ever got food poisoning because we never put anything in the refrigerator. It would just sit there under the tablecloth until dinner time and we would uncover it and eat again before heading home.

Part of the day was to drive out to my granny’s pasture for the big egg hunt.  All us kids and cousins would wait anxiously while my dad and uncle HP hid the eggs.  There was always a prize egg with a silver dollar in it and that was the one to find. My dad would almost always hide it in a cowpatty so I never got the prize egg. Even if I found it I wouldn’t touch the cow poop to get it. So one of the boys usually did. 

When Chris and Andy were little they loved Easter because we didn’t just have egg hunts. We had Easter Treasure hunts. In addition to the regular eggs they would find clue eggs. These were eggs which held a piece of paper with a clue in it. They would solve the clue and get an Easter surprise.  From water guns to gift cards as they got older and even some prizes like a coupon for me making their favorite meal , it was always a race to find them.   The clues were pretty simple when they were little and got harder as they got older.  I think they finally quit hunting when Chris got married…LOL  But someday when I have grandkids the tradition will revive and at Granny Elan’s house there will be Clue eggs. 

Today was the first Easter in a long time that I have spent alone.  Seems like in last few years one or the other of the boys have been  home for Easter. Or I have been in Kingfisher.  I have to admit it was a little sad for me.  I know someday I will have a house full of kids and grandkids and hopefully a spouse to share Easter with and cook for.  I always made a bunny cake when the boys were home.  This year, I didn’t because I would have eaten the bunny by myself.  And that would not be good. 

At Church this morning, it was so fun to see all the little girls and guys dressed up for Easter, carrying their Easter baskets.  I felt bad for them as the rain continued to pour down all day.  I bet there were a lot of indoor egg hunts today.

But even as I reflect on the “bunnys and eggs” part of Easter, the real meaning of Easter is what I am most thankful for. As I ponder Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and the miracle of his resurrection,  I know that someday I will be in a place where lonliness is not even a concept. I will have Easter dinner again with my mom and my granny and all of those who have gone before.

Long after the chocolate bunnies and the peeps and the so sweet you can barely eat them candy eggs are gone, the meaning of Easter, the renewal of hope will remain. 
Happy Easter to all.