easter/ re-visited

last night the bishop called and asked me to give a talk next sunday-Easter. this is exciting for me, as Easter is my most favorite time of the year. (and i don't necessarily mean because jelly beans are involved- my favorite candy). Easter has always held a special place in my heart- from the earliest times that i can remember.


when i was a little girl, we went to a methodist church in dunkirk, n.y. at Easter, the daffodils and hyacinths were usually in full bloom and the church would be full of them. the fragrance is still with me and when i smell them to this day, i think of those Easters so long ago. i remember the stained glass windows - everything seemed so huge and majestic.( in later years i revisited the church and was surprised at how small everything was.)

my mom made sure i had the traditional white gloves and Easter hat. she tells me that you HAD to wear them- that was the "in" thing. she even wore a hat- and she hates, hates hats! my grandma steele would never wear a new hat on Easter- she felt that she would be putting on a show if she did! i like my grandma's way of thinking. when my mom was a girl, her mom had her dresses made and she remembers going to the dressmaker for fittings and being so bored with it all. there were no stores in her small town of alda- only the drugstore/ soda shop, which her aunt pearl owned.

some Easters were spent in nebraska with my grandma steele. she had a corn crib near her porch and i'm not sure why. the smell of dried corn cobs still takes me back to nebraska. this photo of my brother doug and i was taken in nebraska on Easter. i wish i knew more details- i'm relying on my own memories and they are the memories of a 3-4 year old. ( mom has dementia and many memories are wiped out.)

Easter baskets were always wonderful additions to the special time, but didn't take the reverence away for me. we would find the unexpected in our baskets along with the traditional chocolate bunnies. i remember getting a jumprope one year and marbles, which we played by the hour, another. (i kept my marbles in a sock and was pretty good at winning doug's prize marbles.) we always dipped our eggs the night before and when i got older, i blew them out and painted intricate patterns on them.

well, these are all the traditional memories of Easter, ever changing throughout the years, but the sacredness of that time has remained a constant for me. my deep felt love for Jesus Christ has never changed. from the time i can remember as a little girl, i have always loved Jesus and now that i am able to know Him through the teachings of the church, i love Him even more. i am understanding the atonement more as i grow older, and hold our Savior's sacrifice in awe . the arrival of spring - the renewal of earth's bounties are a reminder of the Hope that comes from our Father and His Son. He gave us a plan that, if we are obedient, will insure us of our return to be together with Him.

and so, girls , i wish you a happy, blessed Easter. make memories with your families - Easter is a happy, joyful time and a time for your family's testimonies of the Savior to grow.