April, the cruelest of months, said one poet. It never struck me that way. April the month of showers that brings Mayflowers. It doesn’t work that way in Florida. We seem to have flowers in almost any month. Did you ever wonder where April fool’s Day came from? I wonder. April, in this year brings us Easter. It will also bring us back to the city of Brotherly Love before it is over. We expect our good friends and fellow grandparents, the Hopkins, to spend a good part of the month with us. In anticipation of not having time for this machine we will brief this month of showers (a sigh of relief echoes across the land! or at least in the Editor’s office at 1644 Conn. Ave).
Easters past have all been filled with religious observances. I remember one in the early 60’s when Katherine and I were on one of the islands, either Bermuda or Nassau. We happened to be there on Good Friday. I had rented a motorbike to tour the island. She was adverse to such transportation and she was probably pregnant since in the early 60’s saw Andy in June of ‘60, and in August of ’61,’62,’63, Paul, Dan, and Mary. We agreed to attend on that day the usual Good Friday service of Three Hours. She mentioned the Church and I believed it was St. John, but it could have been Peter or Paul. So dutifully at noon I found the church and proceeded to attend the service. My first surprise was that she, Katherine, was nowhere in the church. The next surprises in order of appearance were: the service was in English, the Priest was black and the three hours service was over in one hour and a half! All of which I explained to myself was the result of being in a foreign country or different diocese. I still mused over Katherine’s absent and only then did it occur to me she might not be feeling well. I rushed back to the Hotel and searched the room the pool, etc. with no luck. Along about 3:30 PM she showed up angry with me for failing to appear at the service. I was just as indignant, since I said she had failed to appear! We then compared notes…it was soon perfectly clear! I went to the Episcopalian Service and she to the Roman Catholic one.
Easter reminds me of the Easter egg hunts in Avalon – some in the condo and others at the Recreation Center. I remember one where the twins, who must have been only 2 or 3 ended in tears since they failed to find anything, but a few short years later they managed to be among the biggest collectors. Easter always had Easter baskets at 4116, 734, and all address after that…now we just talk about all that candy we shouldn’t have eaten since it resulted in two partial bridges…but the memories are “sweet”.
Last Easter, 1997, I had the happy experience of listening to Pastor Jerry salute us with his “Easter Happens, Christ has Risen!” message. It stays with me as a moving soliloquy of faith. His stories of faith in our daily lives, as seen in the acts of others in moments of crisis, still stir me. This Easter Season, I will sit with Pastor Jerry on Maundy Thursday as we reenact the Last Supper. He will play the part of Christ, and I, along with eleven other members of the Men’s Breakfast Club, will be an apostle. We will dress, with the benefit of rented robes, in period clothes. One of the guys is even growing a beard. I tried one on at the rental place and said no way. It was very warm and itchy. We will eat a meal similar to the one Christ and the Apostles ate. There may even be speaking parts, but I am not certain of what or who other than the Pastor will do so.
He has risen as He said…Resurrexit sicut dixit says the hymn…Amen.
Let me wish you and yours all the joys of the Easter Season and when those May flowers come you might see us blooming right there in your backyard!
April 11, 1998
Mary and Ron,
We wish to announce that Alex and Aidan’s pictures have replaced the “Bakers” on the refrigerator! We’ll call you when we get in to determine when well get up (or down?) to Yardley.
Love, Dad