Easter Tidings

Easter.  This is by far and away my favorite holiday.  It is sad that it gets down played somehow in the grand scheme of holidays.  Perhaps it is because people don't understand what it is all about and the deepest meaning of celebrating it.

You all know my love of researching the background of holidays.  I find it fascinating how people have added to or detracted from the essential part of any celebration to make it work for them.  Christmas is easy.  Everybody likes a reason to give a gift, overdose on food, and attend parties.
Easter is a little more difficult in accommodating those needs, but somehow we manage.

Not that there hasn't been reasonable success in that area.  We have baskets, eggs, candy, lilies, rabbits, and other goodies.  None of which have much to do with the actual holiday.  Oh, there is the onset of new life everywhere, which in its own way is a reminder of our dead lives being restored to life because of the resurrection of Christ.  And we have filled the holiday with all things “springy” like flowers, baby animals, birds singing. I have no problem with any of that. There is nothing like a baby chick or lamb to make me smile. They are so cute and soft...what is not to love? The spring showers make the air smell wonderful, fresh, clean. It washes off the grunge of winter and makes everything look new once again. The sun glancing off the dew literally makes everything sparkle.

Easter, like most of our holidays, has become corrupted over time. We now celebrate with bunny rabbits, eggs, chicks, baskets, and such. Where did all of that come from?

The name Easter comes from Eostre, the goddess of fertility. No big surprise there, with reproduction written all over everything associated with Easter.  And why does our celebration period fluctuate from year to year? It all has to do with the Hebrew calendar and the lunar cycle. In the very beginnings of celebrating Christ’s resurrection, the Jews did not want it associated with their celebration of Passover. And so, with some finagling, it is almost never at the same time as that celebration.

I have attended many Sunrise Services. Other than prying myself out of bed way before the crack of dawn and freezing my pitotie off, I never got a big rush out of it. But evidently we are to emulate Mary when she went to the tomb on Sunday morning only to find it empty. It is not a bad way to celebrate if you can keep your teeth from chattering and chilblains from running down your body as the inevitable wind wraps itself around you and creeps under your clothing. Okay, so I like my physical comfort.

And then there are the Easter bunnies bringing eggs. There is something radically wrong with that picture. Evidently the idea of an egg laying bunny was brought to the US in the 1700’s from Germany. He is known as the Osterhase. Since he needed a place for his colored eggs, the basket full of grass was introduced to keep his eggs from breaking. That has somehow morphed into dyed eggs and chocolate Easter bunnies. Every wonder why chocolate rabbits are hollow? Other than to disappoint kids when they bite off the little ears. Cheaper of course. And if it was solid, it could break teeth. Practical too.

Eggs are not much of a stretch when it comes to fertility. Even if you don’t understand where babies come from, you understand eggs and chicks. Another story that surrounds Easter is that Mary took eggs to the crucifixion and Jesus blood dropped on them and they turned red. Seems a far stretch to bring an egg to a crucifixion. But what do I know?  Have never been to one so I don't know the proper protocol.

Now the Easter ham has real practicality. Since the hogs were butchered in the fall, ham was the only meat ready for consumption by spring. Makes sense. And lamb comes from the Jewish Passover celebration. Hot cross buns were introduced in the 12^th century by monks when they began putting an X on the top of the bread. And who knows when the turkeys arrived.

So why do we hide Easter eggs? Beats me. Because it is fun for the kids to search for them? When I lived in Utah, they had an interesting tradition called “Eastering” in which they rolled eggs down a hill. Never got that one either.

So what is Easter really? Personally, I like to refer to it as “Resurrection Sunday”. I celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. While eggs and animals and fun are great, without Jesus’s resurrection, I would have no eternal life. So I celebrate with awe and reverence for what He did for me. Feel free to enjoy all the traditions, gathering with your family, and worshiping at your church but never forget that without the one and only Son of God choosing to give his life, there would be no reason to celebrate.

And with this quarantine, we may not have a chance to celebrate the Easter holiday with our families, including all the fun and traditions. Nevertheless, please celebrate! We have so much to be grateful for!

Happy Easter to all!

Just Writin' on the River Road

Just a little insecure?

So after my last foray into the world of political news, I am going to address my insecurities . . . and yours.  Why is it that we can be so opinionated about some things, and vociferous in voicing them, but be so insecure about other things?  Or maybe we are insecure about the things that we loudly tout too?

I attended a Sunday School class this week.  I LOVED it!  There were differences of opinion, lots of animated discussion, and nobody left with their hackles up.  We can still respect and love one another and disagree.  What a wonderful concept!  How interesting the world would be if we did that all the time.  We would all be more secure with who we are as individuals.

I believe that most of our deep angst comes from our insecurities.  Those of you who follow this blog know that I love to write.  And what I love causes me the greatest insecurity.  I admit to being the Face Book spelling, grammar and punctuation police.  Not that I get it right all the time either, but nothing bugs me more than seeing books, newspapers, magazines or web sites with errors.  To me, there is something nearly holy about the written word.

Perhaps my love of writing comes from a love of reading. I read all sorts of material.  I am reading a book right now that fills me with awe of the author's ability not only to create a story, but to set the scene.  I can "see" what is going on, I can "see" the characters, I can "see" the settings.  I want to be this author!!!  I will never be able to express myself as she does, because I don't have her gift.  But I want to.  Thus the insecurity.

I have discovered that writing is like a fingerprint.  Each author is unique in their own way.  My way of expressing myself is not the same as any other writer in the world.  It may be close, and I may be able to learn new techniques, or how to add layers to my expression, but ultimately it will be mine and it won't sound like anyone else's words.  Why would I want it to sound like someone else?  Because in my mind, they are better, more polished, have more interesting ideas, and are creative in unique ways.  I love to read mysteries.  But it is not my gift to write them.  My brain is not wired that way.  Everything I write sounds like "me".....as it should.

To really bolster my insecurities, I decided to join the Idaho Writers Guild.  Hummm?  Will my fragile ego be able to take criticism?  Do I even have the courage to share my work?  It is easy to feel like a big fish in a small pond when you never venture beyond your comfort zone.   But one of the attributes of a small pond is that it can get stagnant without the influx of fresh water. I am about to get VERY wet.  Maybe?  It all depends on how brave I am.

So what is your insecurity?  Is it what others (might) think of you?  Is it your lack of ability?  In working at the Calico Cupboard, I saw all sorts of talented people that brought us items they had created.  I venture to say that probably 90 percent of them didn't think their work was "worth" much.  God has created us to be creative people, not all the same, but all creative in one way or another. I find that astounding! If we all painted, the world would be full of paintings but we would have no sculptures, or wood works, or quilts.  The list of creative ventures is endless.  You may make cheese, or soap, or can and pickle vegetables, or grow a garden, maybe you can build a building or weld.  Perhaps you farm or ranch, or operate a business, maybe you organize or plan, or maybe you are a teacher or a guide . . . there is no way to list all of the venues that can be pursued.  Don't be insecure about what you do. Be proud of what you have accomplished and push on to learn more, do more, become more.  Don't let your gift become stagnant, or disappear altogether.  You have something to add, we all do.

So let your insecurities go, let them fall away.  For the truth be told, we all spend excessive time thinking about what others think of us, when they actually don't think of us at all.  We tend to be so concentrated on ourselves that we loose sight of the bigger picture.  The bigger picture includes everything . . . the good, the bad, the successes, the failures, the learning experiences, the joy and the fun.  Get out there!  Pack up those insecurities in your old kit bag and send them down the road.  Express yourself, lead by example, step up to the plate, give it a try . . . for the most part, others won't care, they won't even notice if we succeed or fail.  There is really nothing to loose.

Just Writin' on the River Road