"In Your Easter Bonnet With All the Frills Upon It"

Well, folks, yesterday was Easter, the second most beautiful holiday in my world.And, even with this migraine I've now officially been having for one month, I enjoyed myself. We made deviled eggs in coleslaw birds' nests and bunny cakes, opened Easter baskets, listened to Handel's Messiah, and spent time together as a family. I also did a little bit of reminiscing about some of my favorite Easter memories...

My father loves Handel's Messiah. And so does my stepfather. Yesterday, when we were listening to it, I remembered one Easter when my youngest brother was about two or three. He didn't quite understand what the huge chorus was saying, but began singing along anyway. "Goodnight sheep," he sang, while the chorus sang, "And we, like sheep."

One Easter, the three of us kids came down to no chocolate eggs. Every year the Easter Bunny left a small, communal basket of M&Ms or Robin's Eggs on the coffee table. That year, the Easter Bunny had apparently forgotten that we had a dog who was able to reach the table, came back to find Sophie finishing off the chocolate, and called poison control to see what to do next. Luckily, Sophie was a big enough dog for that amount of chocolate not to effect her, but the Easter Bunny was sure scared.

Another favorite memory of mine is making bunny cakes. Usually there are three: Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. But this year, we left out Mopsy, since he's made of cocoa, and I can't have chocolate. Plus, none of us really needs three whole cakes this year. One year, my mama even added a standing Peter Rabbit cake. So cute and so yummy. By the way, they are covered with coconut (one white, one toasted) and sitting in a coconut bed of grass and have candied faces with cut-out ears.

But my favorite Easter memory is probably standing in the front of the whole church with my father (and lots of other people) singing the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah. It is the most beautiful thing you will ever hear. The hundreds of people singing and rejoicing at once, tearing up from the echoes of the choir throughout the sanctuary. Mama never goes to Easter services without a tissue.  I'm sad that I haven't been in a few years, and even since I haven't gone up to the front (my mother wanted me to go with my stepfather, but I couldn't partake in a tradition I have with my father with my stepfather - that's crossing the lines). I miss the Easter services more than I miss hunting for Easter eggs, although that was always fun.. Maybe next year I'll be well enough to go. 

Another thing I love about Easter is what it stands for. Even if you don't believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, at least you know that there are millions of people out there who believe in redemption, and that they will hopefully forgive you for something someday. Happy belated Easter to you all!