For almost 30 years — 28 to be exact — I have written these words in this space, or one just like it in two or three other papers...“Easter’s gonna love this, ain’t he Momma?” It is my absolute favorite quote of all times and not just because it came from the mouth of my own daughter at the age of three. It is just so innocent. So silly. So sweet.
Rachel-Johanna was sitting in her little rocking chair in our kitchen in the small north central Mississippi town of Carrollton. She was rocking back and forth and singing Jesus Loves Me while looking at a display of bunny rabbits on the coffee table. She stopped singing, stopped rocking, looked at her mom, my wife Danny, and blurted out the words. Then she went right back to singing and rocking.
I know all of this, not only because I remember it so clearly, but also because it has been documented so many times in newsprint. Those words are also written on the chalkboard in our kitchen at this time of year every year. Every single year.
They make me smile. They make me giggle. They make me laugh out loud at times. They remind me of the three-year-old and they remind me of the now 31-year-old. They remind me of a whole lot of fun, a whole lot of laughter, and a whole lot of love between the three of us, not just at Easter, but throughout the year. Throughout all those years and hopefully many more to come!
Even during the pandemic lock down in 2020 Easter loved everything about our hastily-put-together drive-by egg hunt at Rachel-Johanna’s house in Jackson.
Easter loved us moving her into her own apartment on Lakeland Drive in Jackson around this same week in 2022, and if plans remain in place this weekend Easter is going to be loving her and her big ole German Shorthaired Pointer dog, Lady, moving into their new digs — complete with a big, dog friendly, fenced in backyard — as well.
That Easter. That Easter, he loves everything it seems.
Everything, except, maybe some Dogwood blossoms. I don’t think I’ve seen any Dogwood in bloom yet this year for him to be loving on.
Back in the days when we lived in the hills of Carroll County the woods were white with Dogwood at Easter. It was truly a beautiful sight. I’m going to have to look hard for some Dogwood this week. Certainly there is some somewhere.
Funny how it doesn’t matter the calendar date on which Easter Sunday falls, the Dogwoods always know when to bloom.
The symbolism of the Dogwood is one admired by Christians everywhere. The cross-shaped blossom with its nail-scarred tips. The reddish tint of blood and the center crown of thorns all remind us of the true meaning of Easter. That of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Christian legend also states that the cross Jesus died on was made from the wood of the Dogwood tree and that after his crucifixion God chose to never allow the Dogwood to grow a trunk large enough to build a cross that size again.
Perhaps I have not seen the Dogwood because I have not looked hard enough. Perhaps I’ve been too wrapped up in the everyday hustle and bustle of life to take a moment to smell the roses or in this case eye the Dogwood. What would Easter think about that?
Nature’s other symbol of Easter, the Easter cold snap, doesn’t seem like it is going to hurt us this year. Gusty winds made for a challenging couple of days outside Monday and Tuesday, but by the time the Easter bonnets, frilly dresses, and linen suits are on the streets this weekend the temperatures will have warmed up a bit and that wind died down a bit as well.
And, finally, although the Dogwoods may be scarce this year, our plum and pear trees blossomed into true beauties and the pear is loaded with tiny fruit. We planted the plum tree in 2005, the year of the hurricane called Katrina. That storm laid the tree on its side when she blew through but with much effort we salvaged it as a beacon of hope after the storm.
That little ole tree still has a pretty good tilt to its trunk but it is a huge beauty now and provides delicious, juicy fruit. The only problem is that the squirrels like them too.
Easter doesn’t love that. Nope, Easter doesn’t love those squirrels at all.
Happy Easter everyone!
