Easter's meaning

Over the last couple of years I have become somewhat disenchanted with the traditional holiday season. In all actuality a blue funk begins somewhere between November 15 and rides on out right after the first of the year. People are lucky to even get a phone call let alone a personal visit during that time. Perhaps, because my birthday is in January and I feel as though it is always a NEW beginning the blue haze slowly begins to dissapate. I am over getting expensive gifts for people just to see the thrill on their face... in fact I have an artsy crafty Soror who I secretly envy because of her ability to take NOTHING and turn it into something... but I digress.

Easter, has always been a special time for me. I grew up in Christian school, went to public jr. high and high school, only to graduate from the largest Catholic University in the Country for Undergrad, and an equally over priced Catholic school for grad school. As a kid, I knew the strory, but was more impressed by my easter basket, my solid chocalate rabbit, those great big fudge walnut filled eggs, and the easter egg hunt. The hunt where I would bring home those little plastic eggs filled with treats(if the treats made it home) and a lot of boiled eggs that were colored(too bad I hated boiled eggs, that was cool... my dad would eat them) However as an adult and further a long in my christian walk, it is at that time that I am reminded once again that Jesus, didn't have to do what he did, but he did it anyhow. Throughout the year I think about how I recieved a gift before I was even concieved. That Jesus died for my sins (yours too) and that whatever I may be going through... Jesus had it worse. Think about it for a minute aside from the trip to calvary to save a wretch, like you and me... he had a lot to contend with. There were haters (Pharisees and Sadducees) PS: his own people, the devil (probably not as big a threat to him as he is to us), the pressure of doing things the way God through prophets had foretold, the nayesayers, dealing with those too ignorant to see the big picture, having to train a group prior to his ascencion and some of those strong personalities ever so present. I mean he had a lot on his plate. Surely, now that I finished grad school I can balance a job, family, friends, organizational comittments, and community!

When I compare my to do list to the one of Jesus I realize that like Jesus, God never gives us any more than we can handle. While I carry my own burdens I am learning more and more that God is capable of doing more than I could have ever imagined. All I have to do is trust God. So while I celebrate the resurrection of Christ today, getting crunk in my choir, I am reminded of the notion...That's Love.