April Begins

 

Did you wear your Easter bonnet,

Did you find all the eggs,

Did you have a FaceTime visit,

Take a walk to stretch your legs,

Did you get to eat some candy,

Did you have a special feast,

Did you reflect on Easter’s meaning,

When the sun rose in the East?

I hope your day was blessed,    

With only pleasant things,

That stay with you for days,

No matter what they bring.

 

          This year April featured Easter in the first few days, and beautiful weather (aka no snow/sub-freezing temps), and the appearance of the first flowers in my yard which are crocus.  I planted crocus bulbs when we first moved into our house over 30 years ago, and every year 3 or 4 have come up.  They didn’t spread or multiply as some bulbs do, but neither did they die.  The first ones I noticed were the ones that I planted at the base of a long ago removed tree which is the rent location of a vegetable garden in summer, the next by a rock on a small bank in one back corner of our yard.  They tell me that Spring is finally here and I can look forward to more flowers and greenery in the coming weeks.

          It seems that more and more I am nostalgic about the past when holidays come around, and this year is no exception.  If anything I’m feeling it even more now than in the past.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been cooped up so long during the pandemic and keeping my self physically distanced, (I like that better than saying socially distanced), from everyone for safety and have had time to reminisce about the holidays in past years.  There were the Easters of my childhood when Mom made me a new dress every year.  One dress I specifically remember is one she made when I was perhaps 8 years old.  It was a simple bright pink A-line with long sleeves with white cuffs and a white peter pan collar, and a matching floppy brimmed hat.  I don’t remember the day, but I sure remember that dress because I loved it.  Probably the morning was spent at church, (after we got to taste a little of our candy from our baskets the Easter Bunny brought), then a quick stop at home for perhaps a sandwich before we packed up and drove an hour to my grandparent’s house for Easter dinner.  I always think of Easter as being warm and sunny, but there were some that were snowy and some rainy, and some quite cold since Easter Sunday can be as early as mid-March and as late as the end of April.  Still, when I think of that holiday I smell ham baking for long hours, lilies and hyacinth, and see crocus, tulips and daffodils in my mind.  I think of family and laughter, church friends, and new white shoes; and candy, of course!

          Once we started our own family, my husband and I put together baskets for the girls, and if there was a note left for the Easter Bunny it was answered and left in the basket with treats.  In the beginning we either all went to my parents’ house, or after my younger brother married we went to his place, and then eventually I began hosting the dinner.  When the girls were little we went shopping for new dresses every year, sometimes with matching hats and gloves, and always new white shoes.  Once middle school years hit, the new outfits gave way to a new shirt to go with jeans or a casual skirt and sandals.  Things are much more relaxed now when for me, Easter shopping is for groceries for the holiday dinner.  I kind of miss shopping for the pretty new outfits, but do enjoy the less stressful aspect of a more casual time.

          As April begins this year I find myself looking through old photo albums and boxes of pictures, remembering how we all were, and the things we did, and people we knew.  Shots taken at parties and family reunions, vacations, and just random days that someone took out a camera and snapped casual pictures become priceless possessions. Of courses, it’s better if someone has taken the time to write on the back of them the names of people in them, the date and occasion, but it can also be half the fun trying to guess.  It’s a bittersweet way to spend some time, and good for a laugh or two, especially when shared with someone you love.