Easter Memories

Today is Easter Sunday, 2018. I’m up early getting ready for our church’s Sunrise Service and am having memories of some Easter Sundays in the past. Two in particular come to mind.

The first is that while growing up we always made a big deal of dressing up for the Sunday. Our parents made sure that we had nice outfits to the day. The below picture is from Easter Sunday in 1961 of myself and my siblings. The boys in suits (the youngest in short pants) and the girls in new hats, fuzzy coats and white gloves. Did your family dress like this?

My second memory is back when my wife’s “second family”, Don and Katy Kilwin owned Kilwin’s Candies and Gifts in Petoskey, MI. I suppose that this memory has come back this year because Katy passed away last year and this is our first Easter without her.

On this particular year they decided to make us custom chocolate Easter bunnies. You’ve all seen them in the stores and perhaps had to deal with the decision – do I eat the ears first or the tail? These particular ones were about 1’ tall. But what made them special is Don and Katy filled them instead of leaving them empty like the ones you find in the stores. Mine was filled with cashews and Donna’s was filled with mints! How yummy is that!

Regardless of what you own memories of Easter are, I hope that you take some time today to consider the real reason why we celebrate this date – the empty tomb. Jesus died and was resurrected for all of us – regardless of our skin color, ancestry, or political leanings. All he asked is that we accept this gift.