Sunday Snippet: The Happy Easter Edition

Remember Easter when you were a kid? Man, I do. It was an event at our house every spring.

The night before Easter, we colored hardboiled eggs with the Paas Easter egg dye kits. Remember those? After we kids went to bed, Mom, who was probably already exhausted from working at the grocery store all day and studying whatever courses she was taking for her nursing degree, hid them around the house. Then,  she’d iron everyone’s Easter clothes–usually made by our Aunt Alice, who was a stellar seamstress–so we’d look spiffy the next morning. I loved my dress and hat and little umbrella purse the Easter I was seven. I felt so grownup because I had a hat like Nana and Aunt Alice. And yeah, my brother does look like bit like a five-year-old smarmy Herb Tarlek (google him) in this picture. But it was the sixties, ya know?

After we’d found all the hidden eggs on Easter morning (there was one year when we didn’t find one and it made itself known several weeks later with a wretched stench emanating from the upright piano, but that’s a story for another day). we’d dress in our Easter finery and head to church. There, we greeted each other with He is risen and the expected response of He is risen indeed. We sang “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” with gusto, particularly on the “allelujahs,” and my brother would inevitably drop a jelly bean or two from the handful he’d stashed in his pocket before leaving home. Mom would scowl and we three girls would giggle and hold out our hands to make him share.

My grandparents would be at our house after church and Gacky (yeah, we called our beloved grandpa Gacky [pronouced gah-key], all thanks to my sister PJ, the first grandchild, who just couldn’t manage to get her toddler tongue around Grandpa). Anyway, Gacky would take over the kitchen and soon glorious smells would fill the house–ham and cheesy potatoes, green beans and parker house rolls. We’d feast and then would come the pièce de résistance: Nana’s orange coconut cake. Yum! I’ve never been able to recreate that gorgeous cake. She even topped it with little nests of tiny jelly beans, which just seemed so artistic to seven-year-old Nan.

This year, Easter is a little bit bittersweet–the family can’t gather because four of us were exposed to Covid yesterday, so Husband and I will most likely Facetime with Grandboy, Son, and DIL, sing allelujah to each other, and share a long walk and a quiet meal just the two of us. I won’t be dressed in Easter finery–nope, yoga pants and my “writing is my superpower” sweatshirt. This column will be all I accomplish today, and that’s okay too. I need to learn to rest at least one day of the week.

Anyway, share your Easter memories with me–I’d love to hear them! Happy Easter and welcome to springtime, mes amis!

Gratitude for this week: A work day with Liz–so good to see her! Walks in the warm sun with neighbor and pal, Mary. MIL was very happy for me to give her a manicure this week–it’s fun to see her smile at her newly polished nails. My hyacinths are blooming. Got to see Grandboy and Son–always a reason to be grateful.

Stay well, stay safe (yeah, it’s still out there–we are living proof), spread a little kindness around, and most of all, mes amis, stay grateful for this life and its many blessings.