Spring--for one day

Rainy and chill today. Yesterday (April 2) it snowed 2-3 inches!

But Easter was a one day taste of Spring.

We sat out on the deck talking for the first time since September. A sweater helped, but it was warm in the generous sun.

There actually wasn't room for all 14 of us on the deck but the girls were more interested in the back yard where Bern continues to keep their 'fairy houses' in shape in spite of the winter woes.

It's amazing to be surrounded by both our children and spouses and the 4 grand-daughters and four long-time and deeply loved friends.

Maybe that's what 'new life' is all about.

I'm just really glad to live in the Northern Hemisphere when it comes to the Christian year. Christmas in the summer and Easter as fall comes on would be hard for me.

In my Easter sermon I pointed out that the only two constant features of the 4 gospel stories of Easter is the presence of Mary Magdalene at the tomb (different women in each account--but always Magdalene) and an 'empty tomb'.

My friend John, who is a Ph.D. psychologist, once said the only two things people in therapy really needed to hear are: "you're a good person" and "everything is going to be alright."

I quoted him in my sermon and pointed to Magdalene and the empty tomb speaking those words to us. God loves us enough to live as one of us and die for us. So, we must be good persons!

And the empty tomb, in the midst of all the confusion and anxiety and depressing events of life points to the Reality that, in fact, 'everything will be alright'.

I am as sure of that as I am anything--God loves us and makes us 'good' if we accept that love AND in God's heart, everything will be alright....

Happy Eastertide....