We are having a cool and rainy spring, but the flowers are blooming and the ground is soaking up the moisture.  The peas are coming up, and last night we ate spinach from the garden.  I planted that spinach last fall in hopes of a harvest for Christmas.  My covering for the bed wasn’t quite right, though, and collapsed under the weight of the snow.  I was so surprised in February when I removed the cover and found tiny sweet spinach.  And now that it is warmer, that same spinach is growing big and ready to eat.

Although the rain is delaying the planting season for farmers, it is welcome because we are still recovering from drought.  Everything looks so clean, the colors so intense, in the rain.  I still enjoy a walk in the rain, if I can have a raincoat and waterproof boots.  Rain is a gift of life.

“April showers bring May flowers” is an old rhyme.  So far, we haven’t seen the showers, but the flowers are starting anyway.  The tulips in my front garden are about six inches high.  My son-in-law said, “I like the daffodils, to me, they mean Spring is here.”

“Oh, yes,” I said, “there are also hundreds of daffodils in that bed, but they haven’t shown themselves yet.”

His sister said, “As soon as they start blooming, call me, and I’ll come with my camera.”

These signs of spring bring us hope for the immediate future of the plant kingdom, and remind us that there is hope for the long term future of life in the spiritual realm as well.  We are about to celebrate the highest holy day of the Christian year, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  This holiday is also known as Easter, a word that was in use in English when the ancient texts of Christianity were translated.  Many say that “Easter” is a pagan holiday taken over by the Christian celebration.  Although the two coincide, there is a distinct difference in the reality of meaning.

Some 50 years ago, Easter was still considered a main holiday, and, for example, school was out starting Good Friday and continuing a whole week after Easter Sunday.  As the USA has left behind its Christian heritage, we hardly notice Easter anymore in the general society, except for the sales of chocolate rabbits and colored eggs.  For Christians, though, the resurrection of Christ remains as the central event of our faith, and “Easter” marks the anniversary of it.

Joy! Hope! Peace! Love!   All these blessings come from Jesus Christ and his victory over death.  May all these be yours this season.