EASTER

I was planning to write about compassion fatigue today until I went to church this morning. Then I decided I had to write about Easter. I know that people of many faiths and people of no faith at all follow this blog, so I usually keep it fairly secular.

However, when I got up this morning the sun was shining. On the the way to church I delighted in all of the flowers, bushes and tress that are in bloom. Our little granddaughters squealed with delight when we met them in the parking lot. They were wearing their Easter dresses with big pink bows and white patent sandals. My 87 year-old Aunt Jean was all decked out in pretty pastel colors.

The combination of the organ along with the trumpets, trombones, tubas and the voices of our choir practically lifted the roof off of the sanctuary. It was all magnificent, but the best part was when our priest went to the pulpit and started the sermon with these words, “Thank God for women!”

Obviously, I can’t share the entire sermon, or write at length about how Christ valued all people, especially the outcast and down-trodden, but the essence of the message that Father Lin shared about Easter is a message of hope, love and redemption.

He assured us that even in the very worst end-of-life situations there is hope, because God’s love will always be available to us.

I wrote a lot of words down on the bulletin during the sermon that I wanted to share with you, but Melissa and Leah created such a hullabaloo in their excitement to get out of the sanctuary and into the library for their cookies, that I ended up leaving it on the pew.

But here’s the bottom line. I believe this life can be hard. I believe it’s rarely fair. I believe some people suffer losses and pain that are beyond our imagination. But through it all, I believe if we have faith in something that is holy and sacred, like the love of Christ, that we will find the strength to do what has to be done, and at the end of our winter, I believe we will have spring.