Easter Tidbits

It's Easter. Here's a lighthearted look into what popped into my mind for each letter of the holiday. Then, find my spiritual perspective of the letters.

E - Energizer Bunny

Makes me think of Ashley Graf, a former student and basketball player of mine. She never got tired. Coach Randy Weber nicknamed her Pink. I ran into Ashley on Good Friday. All grown-up, married with hubby and three kids, and living nearby me. Here’s their uprooted tree from the storm a couple days ago. 

Ashley's tree

A - April

It hosts Easter, at least for this year. Always a fun month. Lots of family birthdays. A new one soon: my step-daughter's baby Jack Von Schmidt. He hasn't arrived yet at the writing of this post.

S - Spring

Storms and showers and little flowers. Here's a picture of what the recent storm almost slammed into the front of our house. Ironically, that tall Chinese elm was scheduled to come down this weekend along with two others. Its last deed: to protect us.

Monte's cedar tree ended up in our tree

T - Trees Bud

The red buds. The crab apple. All signs of new life. Maybe I like spring after all. Click here to read why I didn't. Then click here to read how my heart and mind have changed.

E - Eggs

The ones that get a colored bath. My older sisters tell me that Mom loved coloring Easter eggs. I don't think she did it much with me. I only remember spreading out the funny paper on the kitchen table. You feel sad for me, don't you? No worries. I'll make sure Jack Von gets to color eggs, so maybe I'll learn how.

R - Relatives

My brother Elliott and his wife Doris gave me a pretty stuffed rabbit one year. Cream and mint green. Wish I had a picture of it. Speaking of Elliott, Mom always bought him a large solid chocolate rabbit. Even as a married man with five children, Mom gave him a rabbit. Sweet gift for her first born.

Now for My Christian Perspective on Easter

E - Eternal Life

In heaven with Christ. What we gain by accepting Him as our Savior. This is a choice. It's a gift, a free one.

A - Arose

What Christ did. I hear the harmonic voices from my childhood church singing the old hymn, "Up From the Grave He Arose." Click here to hear the hymn. I find it hard to sing it now without tearing up—just like my sister Brenda will when she reads this and then listens. If hymns do nothing for you, how about the modern version? Click here.

S – Salvation

I received it when I accepted Christ as a little girl. I sat in the black chair in the dining room by the east window and asked Jesus into my heart. My sister Brenda said she was there with me, but I don’t remember that part. In jr. high and then again in college, I rededicated my life to Him. I cannot imagine not having that peace.

where I sat when I accepted Christ: the black chair in the dining room

T - Tom Macy

My former pastor from my early adulthood who now preaches in Indianapolis. Such a scholar. It was rare if he did not preach with references to the Greek and Hebrew and connect the Old with New Testament. He knew how to apply Biblical truths to modern day life. To read Pastor Macy's blog, click here. To hear him preach, click here.

E - Ebenezer Church

My childhood church in rural Doland, South Dakota, whose faithful attendees help teach me about Christ and the Bible. They were the same people on Sunday as they were throughout the week. To read about one such person, also a relative of mine, click here. To read about my VBS days there, click here.

my childhood church, Ebenezer

R - Resurrection

The miracle of Jesus' resurrection is the common bond between Christian religions. I know we debate, argue, and even cause church splits about so many interpretations of passages and religious practices. But I think the bottom line is this: Jesus was born of a virgin, fully man and fully God, was tempted in all ways yet lived a sinless life, was crucified, died, and rose again. All this for our sins. On those, I think Catholics and Protestants agree.

Final Thoughts

For those who prefer an intellectual read on the topic, try Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus by Nabeel Qureshi. You may find the answers you need from a historical perspective and from a man who was a practicing Muslim. He risked his life to become a Christian.

Happy Easter. What are some of your Easter memories, secular or religious? What emerges in your heart and mind during this holiday?

Writer's Note: next week welcome again my friend Amy Wallace who shares another Circle of Life story. Click here to read her first one.

 

One Teacher Who Changed Many Lives

Our little orange-stained fingers dropped loose change into the little white piggy bank church that served as the offering plate. Us preschoolers had munched on Cheese Puffs or puffy popcorn around the U-shaped table listening to the Bible lesson. We prayed, sang, and learned about Jesus in the Sunday School classroom of Mary G. Wipf. 

Aunt Bina (standing), Mom, Grandma Katie, Aunt Grace, and Mary G.

Mary G. was my mom’s cousin and like an aunt to me. The G stood for Gladys, her middle name, and she answered to Mary G. so as not to be confused with the other cousin, Mary J. Dammier. In May, Mary G. passed away. She was 90. Here is her obituary. Her birthday of December 8 was also her wedding anniversary and the birthday of my niece, Colleen, who ironically now shares a birthday with her husband, Jason.

 

Colleen & Mary G. share a birthday cake one year.

Mary G. and husband Warren were frequent guests in our home and travel companions to Kansas where one of their sons and his family lived. My dad often received good-natured teasing from them on his lengthy bathroom stops at courthouses during such trips. They teased me about some make-believe people we concocted to pass the time—I think their names were KillRoy and Virginia.

Mary & Warren in 1982, 40th Wedding Anniversary

Mary and Warren lived in Doland, and were the first town friends that I remember. Warren ran his own mechanics shop while Mary G. worked at the post office. They lived a modest life, but because they were not stuck out on the gravel roads in a farm house, this little girl considered them rich. They had a TV in living room, cable TV mind you, a garage for their car, a sidewalk to a front and a back door, and a cement driveway. To top if off, they had a basketball hoop with cement under it. They were rich.

Dad, Warren, Mom, Mary G., Mary J, unknown man (to me), Wayne, and Marcella

Their kitchen also fascinated me. The frig set on a slant so one could get to the basement—that wasn't creepy like our cellar—where the laundry room existed. The kitchen had no cabinets on the wall. Instead, Mary's dishes were in the pantry. It was fun helping her set the table or put stuff away because my little hands could see and reach it all. It baffled me how Warren would help her dry the dishes sometimes. I never saw my dad or my brother ever do that. Was this how town people lived? 

The Wipfs attended the major events in my life: piano recitals, school plays, birthday parties, and graduations. Many Sunday nights after church, we'd get together to play the domino game, Shoot the Moon, or Aggravation. At their house, our snack might be the colorful popcorn balls that I referred to in the post entitled, Treating with Tricks.

Mary G.: times with my sisters & me

Her 21 years as widow involved many changes: selling items from Warren's business, selling her Doland home, moving to Huron into assisted living, and then living her remaining years in the nursing home.

This year, on her birthday tomorrow, Mary G. resides in her heavenly home that she taught so many Ebenezer Church children about. The song "Thank You" by Ray Boltz is no doubt the theme song of her life.

I am happy-sad as I listen to it, for as the lyrics say, because of you, I am a life that was changed.

Do you have a close family friend or relative whose birthday or death was near the holiday season? What advice do you have for those who are coping with this type of loss for the first time?

Writer’s Note: I will write more about Mary G. in an upcoming Christmas post. To read more about Ebenezer Church's influence on my life, read the post, Skinned Knee with a Slice of White Bread in which I reminisce about daily vacation Bible school.