The Ghost of Easter Past

The Ghost of Easter Past mystically appeared in my life this past weekend and took me on a little tour of life’s last four Easters.

The last four Easters I’ve experienced have each been different from the other. Three years ago, my sisters came to visit me in Virginia. We went off-roading on a bunch of muddy roads in West Virginia until 3 AM on Easter morning. It was insane. It really was. (But it was also very fun.) We then slept for about 45 minutes, hit the snooze button five times, drug ourselves out of bed, combed our hair, threw on some clothes, and drove into D.C. for a sunrise service on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. I will never forget sitting there, with hundreds of other hollow-eyed, sleep-deprived humanoids, in the dark, waiting for the sun to rise above the capitol and, eventually, the Washington monument. When the sun finally decided to show its face, it lit up the reflecting pool with brilliant colors. My sisters weren’t so sure - but I thought it was worth it. After church, we returned to the farm and rode 4-wheelers around the pond. I hopped on the back of one with Gordon and he took me for a wild, high-speed ride. At the end of the ride, he drove me into the pond. . . apparently as a joke. It took me a few moments before I was able to wipe the slime off my face and laugh with everyone else. I wanted to strangle Gordon. (I hear he’s now married and lives in Wisconsin. Heaven bless his wife!) Those were good ol’ days, at the Kendall farm. (The only thing I don’t miss about the Kendalls is being forced to watch Jackie Chan movies every weekend by the other boarders. It was enough to drive a girl mad.) ;)

Two years ago . . . Kevin and I were newly engaged and went to Long Beach to see my folks. It was Kev’s first time to meet my extended family and a bunch of my crazy friends. He handled himself marvelously. He even scored big points with my grandpa by remembering the name of his third cousin’s sister-in-law’s nephew’s step-daughter’s new god-baby. Or something like that. (See Kev, a good memory comes in handy now and then!)

Last year . . . we had been married for eight months and were waiting for our Bar results. We were living with Kev’s parents at the time, in Indiana. It was exciting to see the spring flowers pop-up and the green grass get greener every day that passed. Spring is beautiful in Indiana. I was blissful because I didn’t have to study and could actually enjoy a stress-free holiday. Yay!! (I dyed eggs for the first time in years!) Kevin drove five hours (in each direction) to pick up Betsy from Michigan so she could be with us. It was a special time.

This year . . . we decided to stay here in Sacramento. We thought we would be lonely but, as it turned out, after going to church in the morning, we went to two different parties. WE ATE LIKE PIGS. Ugh. Gluttony is such a sin, too. :-/ The best part, for me, was doing an egg hunt for Kevin. I waited until he was in the shower and then rushed out into our little back patio to hide the eggs. It was fun. He didn’t expect it. And I love surprising him. (My dad laughed when he heard about this. He asked, "Did Kevin have a basket and everything?" Of course he did!)

Sigh . . . I wonder what next Easter will bring, as life takes its twists and turns.