Easter Memories

Happy Easter! My husband and I don't really do anything special for Easter. We both live so far from our families that we just pretty much treat it as another Sunday.

When I was growing up, Easter was something to look forward to. We would always have Easter baskets waiting for us when we woke up. They would be filled with candy and stuffed bunnies. Mom and dad would have Easter eggs hidden in the house and we would all go tearing through the house searching for those.

The night before Easter my sisters and I would help mom decorate the eggs for our egg hunt that would be held at church the next day. We would all have new Easter outfits to wear to church, complete with new white dress shoes! After church, my grandma would come over and have solid chocolate bunnies for us, and usually some type of toy. We always looked forward to that. We would have a big meal and just enjoy the day with all of our new toys and our chocolates. So, as a child my Easters were pretty memorable.

Now that mom is gone, dad is in Florida for the winter and all of us have families of our own. I am the only one of my five siblings who doesn't live in Ohio right now. The rest of them have stayed in our hometown! I don't know if they get together or not during Easter. I don't think so. They usually do their own thing or, if married, they spend it with their spouses or their spouse's family.

All holidays are bittersweet now. I realize that life goes on but it doesn't change the fact that sometimes you wish for those old days when all of the family could gather together and laugh, share a big meal and just spend time together.

So, today I think about my mom, my grandparents and great-grandparents; all of those who have passed on. I spend just a little time with them today in my heart. I'm thankful for all the memories they gave me as a child. These memories really do sustain me in these times of "purple rain."