I’d like to wish all Christians a Happy Easter on this Sunday morning.
Easter sort of crept up on us, so I hope everyone had enough time to buy their ham and color their eggs for today. Man, I miss the days of coloring eggs with my daughters. It was messy, but fun.
I also miss making Easter baskets, and I don’t know if it brought me back to my childhood days or if it was because I knew I’d be the beneficiary of some great sugary treats when the girls weren’t looking.
Some families hide the basket; others make their children find hidden eggs to get their basket.
In my family, as children, we just woke up to find our baskets all covered in colored cellophane, topped with a bow, prominently displayed on the coffee table. I carried on that tradition with our girls. I was like waking up on Christmas Day, except it was Easter.
There were a lot of Easter Egg Hunts last weekend, particularly on Saturday, when it was downright cold, not chilly, but just cold with a stiff wind. It was so cold; I remarked that it wasn’t as cold as shooting football late last fall.
The City of Pittston continued doing the Easter bag handout drive-thru that started during COVID. It seems very convenient and easy for the city and parents.
Drivers would pull up, greet the bunny, get a bag or bags depending on how many children were in the car, and off they go.
Exeter Borough had a lovely event at Musto Park. They gave out candy and had face painting, arts and crafts, and a chance to have your photo with the Easter Bunny. It was cold at Musto Park, but I’m sure everyone took advantage of the ice cream truck the borough’s Parks and Rec. brought in.
I don’t know if it was the weather or if there are just fewer children living in our area, but the Easter Egg Hunts aren’t as well attended.
I will lean towards the latter because the census would verify that. In my borough, the population was just shy of 7,000, and today it is roughly 4,600; that’s a 42% drop.
The White House has held a tradition going back to 1878 during the presidency of Rutherford B. Hayes, when he invited children to the White House lawn to roll eggs.
No question, churches everywhere were filled with parishioners and congregations dressed in their Easter best.
Mom always took us Easter shopping back in the day. We had to be dressed to the nines. My brother and I wore similar clothing; I don’t know why — we were not twins — and my sister got a new dress, shoes, hat, and purse.
If you ever wondered what the connection is between religion and the Easter Bunny, it all comes down to the egg.
The Easter Bunny is a folkloric figure associated with Easter, traditionally depicted as a rabbit who delivers eggs and candy to children. Its origins are linked to pagan traditions of fertility and spring, particularly associated with the goddess Eostre, and it became popular in the U.S. through German immigrants.
The egg symbolizes new life and rebirth, as with Christ on Easter.
A typical Easter meal across the United States includes ham or lamb as the main course, with side dishes of scalloped potatoes, asparagus, or deviled eggs. A typical dessert would be a carrot cake or some sort of pie.
Although you don’t see too many Easter Parades, you can still find one in New York City for the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival on Fifth Avenue near St. Patrick’s Cathedral. It’s been going on since the 1870s.
Of course, you’re probably singing the famous song by Irving Berlin, written in 1933, as you read this. “On the avenue, 5th Avenue, the photographers will snap us, and you’ll find that you’re in the Rotogravure.”
Easter for me so closely relates to spring, and spring is a rebirth. It gives me great joy to see flowers rising from the ground. I enjoy the longer days and welcome daylight saving time with open arms.
Soon after, trees and bushes begin to bud, and grass turns green and grows.
It’s this time of the year I begin to come out of my winter slump and feel alive again.
Hopefully, we can have a great spring leading into my wheelhouse — summer.
Now summer, that’s my jam, as they say. I’m all about it and live for it. When I die, I don’t want it to happen during summer, which would be a waste of the season. Take me in the dead of winter on a cold, snowy day.
And finally, I would like to take my hat off to my friend Joan Pribula and the women of Wesley Village who are members of The Sunshine Club.
Every other week, The Sunshine Club gathers to make blankets for the sick, Veterans, and seniors.
These dedicated women are octogenarians and nonagenarians who have a purpose.
Job well done, ladies.
Quote of the week
“God proved His love on the cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’” —Billy Graham
Thought of the week
“The great gift of Easter is hope — Christian hope which makes us have that confidence in God, in his ultimate triumph, and in his goodness and love, which nothing can shake.” —Basil Hume
Bumper sticker
“Look at the cross, and you will know what one soul means to Jesus.” —Mother Teresa
