1 Peter 1:3
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead... (NIV)
Growing up in the South seems to have it's own unique style. Here on Easter day I can't help but think back to my own childhood Easter celebrations.
One specific year comes to mind. Easter was usually celebrated at our house with my mothers family all coming to our house for dinner and of course the all important egg hunt. Maybe it was because of the small little town we lived in. The rest of the family all lived about 35 minutes away in the city. Well, that's a little misleading. We lived right in the center of town on nearly an acre of land but my Grandparents and Aunt lived in the "city" but on a couple of acres each of rural land.
Normally Easter dinner was a semi-formal occasion with us all gather around the dining room table. Afterwards kids running outside to find hidden Easter eggs, more than once usually. This year was different. We weren't eating at home. We weren't hunting for eggs at home. We were all piling in the cars and heading for an Easter picnic. What a nice change. A large beautiful cleared piece of land shaded with ancient oak trees dripping with silvery Spanish moss. So Southern, so pretty. I remember us taking a walk while the eggs were hidden. There was plenty to see here. Even now I can clearly see the pastel eggs hidden in the forks of the oak trees and beneath the blooming azaleas. The sound of our small family of Aunt, Uncle and cousins was so wonderful. I loved hearing the laughter of the adults and being memorized by the stories of my father's great-grandfather donating the very plot of land we were standing on to the county.
What a wonderful day. Nothing seemed the least bit odd about it. Until I go to repeat the story years later, and have to ask myself, "Does it seem strange to other people that we spent our Easter at the cemetery"? One more of those little Southern oddities I guess.
I still continue to visit that cemetery where my moma and daddy rest along with other family members and way too many friends. A place where I know I will call my final home. It never fails that my mind drifts back to the1960's and a happy family laughing, eating and hiding Easter eggs.
Hope everyone had a blessed Easter full of family and friends, whether you were making making new memories or enjoying old ones. I love and appreciate all my friends and readers so much. Thank you for each and every comment.
Love.....Tracy :)
Happy Easter Tracy! I hope you have had a wonderful day! xxoo Nan
ReplyDeleteEaster Blessings and Memories Too! Tiff
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