Signs of New Life

Trees and lilac bushes budding out. Robins, red-wing blackbirds, meadow larks and other songbirds singing. Grass beginning to turn green. Rabbits and squirrels chasing their prospective mates around the yard. My Love nurturing her garden seeds in small cups in our office window and waiting anxiously to get her hands in the dirt as she and her sister, Annette, plant their garden together.

All these signs of New Life we celebrated as we gathered on Easter to rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus. Besides the Risen Life held out to us, we also thanked God for the gift of life of Annette's husband, Jim, who had a birthday on Saturday. In between the delicious food, the marble games, the naps and the laughter, My Love and I reveled again in the blessing of renewing family traditions.

Together with her mother, My Love had enjoyed coloring eggs last week, making up baskets for various neighbors, friends and family members. This tradition was revived from our days together in Texas when the two of them would play together in the kitchen preparing for the Easter feast, something which they again did on Friday and Saturday.

It was even enjoyable to witness the disappointment on niece Rita's face as she came into the home of her Grandparents on Sunday morning to realize that the Easter eggs were not hidden, but out in plain sight. As a college graduate-to-be (next month), she still looked forward to the family tradition of hiding, searching for, and finding the eggs!

All these small celebrations of life and family traditions are nothing as compared to the New Life that this Easter season presents to us in Jesus. Each of these small "resurrections" is but a reminder of the Resurrection of Jesus that is ours to participate in each day as we choose life over death, hope over despair, love over resentment. Truly, He is Risen. So are we!

Easter Greetings

How wonderful it is to be here in Iowa to celebrate Easter with our families! It is a true experience of the Alleluia that fills our lives because of Jesus' Resurrection.

A year ago we were happily rejoicing on this feast in our home in Edinburg, Texas. Friends (Denny and Linda) and relatives (Catherine and her son, Dan) joined us for Easter dinner. A great time was had by all as we ate, laughed together, and celebrated New Life.

Little did we know that our lives would be so quickly and dramatically changed by Hurricane Dolly on July 24. As we watched our beautiful home slowly sink into the rising flood waters, we knew that God was calling us to return to our roots, rejoin our families, and celebrate our new life back in the Midwest.

This year we are gathering with My Love's family to celebrate Easter Life. Also, we are rejoicing in the gift of life of my brother-in-law, Jim, whose birthday is April 11. With fine food, delicious wine, laughter and love, we will renew our faith, hope and love in the Resurrection of Jesus.

As we do so, know that you, our larger family and friends, will be present in our hearts and in our prayers. We wish you could join with us at the table. May you also find cause to sing an Alleluia in the midst of your own life.

Lent Happens!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the end of Mardi Gras, and the beginning of Lent. It begins the traditional season of penance in preparation for the upcoming season of Easter when we welcome the New Life of the Resurrection.

For some people, this is the season of resolutions, much like the beginning of the New Year. This is the time to give up things (candy, desserts, extra helpings at dinner -- maybe with the underlying motivation to loose some undesired weight--or maybe some bad habits, unkind thoughts, temper tantrums or whatever else we can think of).

For others, it may be a time to add some extra things to our lives, like visiting someone who is a shut-in, stopping at the nursing home to say hello to a friend, picking up groceries for a neighbor. All these are good things, and can have a beneficial effect upon our lives by helping us to overcome the self-centeredness that we all struggle with.

However, for me, LENT IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENS TO ME. In my experience, I have gained more, grown more and been transformed more when I have welcomed each day, each person, each situation and each circumstance with open arms and an open heart. In this way, I have found that I am more ready to recognize, acknowledge and accept the God who is among us both in myself and in others. I don't need to sit down and try to figure out what I'm going to DO this Lent. I don't have to set up MY plan for Lent. I simply need to open myself to God's plan each day as it unfolds before me. Most of the time, God surprises me. And in these surprises I am challenged, stretched and transformed.

All I need to DO is Let God Be God, and Let Lent Happen.