"Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives." - Mary Ann Brussat
The table has been set. The champagne is chilling. The salmon is stuffed and oven ready. It is a spectacularly beautiful day. The sun is shining in a clear blue sky but there is still a bit of a nip in the air. Tonight we will host our annual Good Friday dinner. I was caught a bit off guard this morning when tears sprang to my eyes while I was picking up a couple of items at the grocery store. Suddenly I was remembering last Good Friday.
The week had been hectic. Merv was away on a golf trip. I was immersed in work and trying to shore up the spirits of my friend Geraldine whose sister had been diagnosed with brain cancer that week. Without Merv home to help me host Good Friday dinner, the task fell to Jacob to co-host. Jacob was a great help on Good Friday. He helped with the preparations, tended the bar and hosted graciously. What he wouldn't do was the toast. That is always his dad's job. So it fell to me.
Speaking has never been a problem for me. But it had been such a sad week for Ger and her family that I didn't know what I was going to say. So when the time came for the toast, I spoke of the season of Easter as a time of resurrection and renewal for everyone, believers and non-believers alike. We watch the earth renew itself every year at this time. Spring is so hopeful that it reminds us that even when life seems bleak, miracles are possible.
It is a year later. Ger's sister passed away in January. There have been some serious health challenges for several of us who will sit at the dinner table tonight. A couple of us have taken on some academic challenges. Gail got her MBA and is now in a doctoral program. Marg retired. But we are together. Grateful for one another. Grateful for this season of renewal.
Happy Easter.
