As a child, my siblings and I looked forward to Easter mornings. We rose early to hunt for a personal Easter basket that was usually well hid, making it an exciting game of basket seeking. If one of us stumbled across someone else’s basket, the trick was to act as if nothing at all had been spied, not letting on with any sort of twinkle in the eye that a basket was hidden under the kitchen table. In the end, we were all rewarded with a colorful basket full of sweets: jellybeans, candied eggs, chocolate bunnies, and the like.
On most Easters, a few days beforehand, Mom boiled a pot of eggs for us. We decorated the shells in vibrant colors; my favorite were the pink ones. Sometimes the decorating kits included glitter that made the eggs sparkle. Other times there were Easter stickers we adhered to the shells... and to other things in the house. Our pretty, hardboiled eggs were always put on display for a couple of days before Mom turned them into egg salad or deviled eggs or simply had us eat them whole with some salt and pepper.
Every now and then we participated in an actual egg hunt, but that did not become a regular Easter activity until my siblings and I became adults and brought grandchildren to our parents’ home. That was when the plastic eggs were purchased and filled, then hidden all over Grandpa and Grandma’s backyard—hundreds of them! And usually about two dozen of those eggs included gifts of cash! Those were fun egg hunts when our children were young, the cousins searching Grandpa’s boat and Grandma’s garden for every last egg.
Every Sunday meant dressing up and going to church; Easter Sunday was no exception. The service centered on the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that meant for us. We were taught at church and at home that Christ is our Savior. That his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane was to atone for our sins in order that, by the grace of God, we can repent and receive divine forgiveness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, after his body lay dead for three days in a sealed tomb, was a miraculous triumph over death. A triumph that Christ gives freely and indiscriminately to the world. Our eventual resurrection is a gift we could never obtain on our own. John 11:25 – “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
Today, my family is grown and moved out to shape their own lives along with holiday traditions that will most likely mingle the “old” with some “new.” My husband and I continue to celebrate Easter by attending church services in Sunday dress, followed by a special dinner at home. We treat ourselves to chocolate eggs and jellybeans too. And I admit: I still send a sweet-filled Easter basket to each one of my boys. They may grow old, but my heart will always recognize my boys as my cherished babes. I am grateful that they have been taught that Jesus Christ is their Savior and Redeemer, that they know to whom to turn for a remission of sins as well as hope for eternal life. Easter is a beloved holiday for those who understand the immense value of Jesus Christ’s atonement.
Every now and then we participated in an actual egg hunt, but that did not become a regular Easter activity until my siblings and I became adults and brought grandchildren to our parents’ home. That was when the plastic eggs were purchased and filled, then hidden all over Grandpa and Grandma’s backyard—hundreds of them! And usually about two dozen of those eggs included gifts of cash! Those were fun egg hunts when our children were young, the cousins searching Grandpa’s boat and Grandma’s garden for every last egg.
Every Sunday meant dressing up and going to church; Easter Sunday was no exception. The service centered on the atonement and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that meant for us. We were taught at church and at home that Christ is our Savior. That his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane was to atone for our sins in order that, by the grace of God, we can repent and receive divine forgiveness. The resurrection of Jesus Christ, after his body lay dead for three days in a sealed tomb, was a miraculous triumph over death. A triumph that Christ gives freely and indiscriminately to the world. Our eventual resurrection is a gift we could never obtain on our own. John 11:25 – “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”
Today, my family is grown and moved out to shape their own lives along with holiday traditions that will most likely mingle the “old” with some “new.” My husband and I continue to celebrate Easter by attending church services in Sunday dress, followed by a special dinner at home. We treat ourselves to chocolate eggs and jellybeans too. And I admit: I still send a sweet-filled Easter basket to each one of my boys. They may grow old, but my heart will always recognize my boys as my cherished babes. I am grateful that they have been taught that Jesus Christ is their Savior and Redeemer, that they know to whom to turn for a remission of sins as well as hope for eternal life. Easter is a beloved holiday for those who understand the immense value of Jesus Christ’s atonement.
Whatever your traditions may be—egg hunts, candy-filled baskets, special dinners, Sunday sermons, family gathers, etc.—I hope you are able to enjoy this coming Easter Sunday. May the reason for its celebration find a place in your heart and understanding.
–Richelle E. Goodrich
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