Easter, The Beginning

Welcome Easter Sunday. Church choirs have been preparing for weeks to exult their voices in harmony. Halleluiahs will raise the roof and send shivers through listening ears. Scriptural stories will be full of hope, and pastors will preach about the glorious resurrection story of Christ. Today is time to shed the heavy cloaks of Lent and feel the relief of what renewal brings. In the Christian world, today is a big deal.

Beyond the world of religion, I think the beauty of Easter is accessible to everyone regardless of your religious status. Easter assumes transformation which is something usually attained through difficult pathways. Such journeys alter us. We’re not the same person as we were before the moment when everything changed. However, once we come through the worst, we find we are stronger, richer in spirit, and appreciative of the good which helped us along the way. This is where Easter comes in.

I’ve come to know many beautiful writers through my writing workshops with residents of St. Leonard Retirement Community. These wise and magnificent people bring their varied experiences to life through written words. Their stories run the continuum between grief and triumph and what it means to navigate it all. I’ve been touched over and over again by their courage in putting big life onto paper.

I’d like to share with you a reflection written by one such writer, Roger Dunlap. I was deeply moved when Roger shared this with our group, and he was more than gracious in agreeing to allow me to share his words with all of you. Roger brings forward the grandness of Easter to the more humble and ordinary efforts to regain new footing after struggle. He speaks of life after Easter filled with gentility, compassion and an invitation to see life through more aware eyes. I loved the validation that hard times change us. We are no longer the same. Some of us have scars on the outside, some of us have scars embedded deep in our soul. Imagine a soft and loving voice inviting you to a new path where you will see with new eyes and hear with broader listening ears. Although he writes from the perspective of one who believes in Christ’s resurrection, I think Roger’s hopeful message about companionship based in love can be appreciated by all. Roger titles this “The Beginning.”  He writes:

“Every morning should be like this one. The sun is warm and bright all over the land. There is a cooling breeze. Flowers are budding and birds are searching for food. The pain of the past is gone. It is a new life.

You will no longer see me as I was. You will no longer hear me as before when I spoke to you in words that puzzled you. Then you could not understand. Now, I am with you always. You must see with your mind and hear me with your heart.  Don’t be afraid, for I am here to walk with you.

It is time for you to reconcile yourself to who I am, and who you are in me. What I told you before is true, and you can believe. Now, let’s walk together, for your journey will be long and we have much to discuss.”

I’m grateful to Roger for reminding all of us that somewhere, somehow, despite it all, an invitation awaits. Happy Easter everyone.

Photo by Bruno van der Kraan on Unsplash