Easter week 2017

Easter, Resurrection Sunday is almost here, and as my memories of Easter Sundays in the past bubble up one by one I first see myself as a four-year old with a little white purse which matched my white patent-leather shoes and frilly white dress, black curls glossy from all the brushing my mother gave them, all while telling me as I squirmed in pain, “Suffer for beauty’s sake, Leenie.” Well “Leenie” wasn’t caring enough for beauty to have her scalp yanked out by her over-zealous mother!

I remember the Easter right before my brother was born that my parents were holding a revival in Charleston, SC. Daddy had rented a space in a trailer park so we could be connected to power, however there was no toilet in that little trailer so my mother, who was a very sick pregnant lady and couldn’t keep anything on her stomach, made use of the pot which my dad so diligently carried out and kept clean. That Easter I shared my Easter basket with a little boy that I was very much in love with and I am friends with him to this day.

When I was fifteen there was the Easter the lady in the church with very good intentions decided to make an Easter dress for me, oh how I did not want her to do that! She hauled me down to the basement of the beautiful church we shared with St Luke’s Lutheran, and took my measurements much to my great horror! Wearing that dress was one of the single most embarrassing days of my life! I had no choice of color or material so when I put on that bright pink dress made of some sort of stiff linen, complete with a wide belt that had a mother-of-pearl buckle, I felt completely humiliated. It didn’t fit me well and all I wanted to do was to go back into that church basement and hide!

By the next year someone else took mercy on me and decided to take me shopping, now shopping is not one of my favorite things but I can tolerate it with someone I like and here I am going to break one of my own rules, the one about never calling anyone’s name, because the person was the mother of a friend of mine, his name is right there on my friend list, Herb Wright! Herb, his mother, Carrie, and sister Irene came and took me downtown Atlanta for a day of shopping and the friendship we forged that day has lasted for all of these years. Herb, who was very young, loved to watch me play the Hammond and I like to think maybe I inspired him which makes me proud to say that he is a fabulous musician now! I am happy to report that I was not embarrassed that Easter, so delayed thanks and accolades to them after all these years.

The next most important Easter memory I have is the one that came on my daughter’s one-month birthday, and I had her dedicated to the Lord!

Lastly I am thinking of Easter four years ago, as my dad rolled his scooter out of the van to go into the church I stopped him and took a picture of him with my mother, how different it is now, they are both with the risen resurrected Savior in heaven.

I am wondering what might change between now and next year? All I know is that the risen, resurrected Jesus Christ holds my future in His hand and I am feeling pretty well blessed right now on this Easter 2017.