Spring is here! YAY! Well, okay, technically Spring is here, the thermometer just has not realized it yet, here in the Midwest.
My grass has just a smidgen of green sprouts, but I know it is on its way ... isn't it?? It has to surface at some point, and even if it doesn't, I will sing its praises anyway !
Why? Because Spring and Easter go together "like peas and carrots" as Forrest Gump would say! So many rows and rows of goodies, treats, and neats decorate the aisles. Bunnies and baskets, candy and toys. I noticed all of the commotion right after St. Patty's Day. The difference is huge because now is the reign of the peeps! Those marshmellowy treats have now taken on most holidays but are most visible at Easter-time. I too fall easy victim to the sugary delicacy. Meltey and gooey, leaving a glaze around our mouths.
Of course the jelly beans, bellys and Starbursts must accompany any easter holiday because who can resist them? The thought of all the Easter pleasures is already giving me a tummy ache!
The chocolate Easter eggs, beautiful lillys and linens, all bring a smile to my face. The holiness of the holiday is often obscured as we give way to commercial dissecting of humans and their consumerist needs.
Throughout the years of my celebrating Easter, it has been embraced year to year quite differently.
My early year reflections include ham and mashed potatoes, sparkling grape juice, a Spring frock and brand new patent leather shoes.
I grew fond of rainbow colors and the pleats, but those "Mary Janes" ... they were not something I longed for. Those shoes always, always hurt my feet!
Yes, when I was little, Easter Sunday's were spent at my uncle's home surrounded by so many family members it was often insane. The tradition I recall is trying to find a spot - somewhere - anywhere, where I could be comfortable listening to Judy Garland and the gang belt out Follow the Yellow Brick Road. It seems as if The Wizard of Oz was always showing during Easter Holidays of the 70's, playing on my fear of tornadoes and rolling through meadows in itchy grasslands.
Once I had my own family, I tried like we who celebrate do, to make it memorable and successful and of course, a delight. Many years I tried too hard, and had us booked from sun up to sun down with church, traipsing through parks looking for treats, and visiting everyone we could think of . After realizing less is more, we began to find that being able to eat and enjoy was far more important. Yes, you see traveling from one place to the next might seem as if you'd be fed more than once, yet often times, we'd be running so much that we'd miss everyone's meal-time and end up at a drive-thru - YUCK!
Now that my son is a teen, the favorite thing about Easter is being alive to enjoy another holiday! Many of my elders have passed on. I am thankful I still have my parents, and am old enough to know that life is promised no one. As we make our way each day, the next second can certainly be our last.
My mom just stopped making my 15 year old his very own basket filled with chocolate, eggs, and toys. Last year he received a card and money. This year might be one of new traditions. Maybe a drive along the lake and brunch! We might fit in some other celebration. Or maybe, just maybe I will find a nice pair of Mary Janes that fit!
“I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Hop blogging program, for a gift card worth $25. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”
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