Easter

It was drizzling and gray this morning and not at all what we want of Easter.  We want symbolic sunrises and pastel colors.  We want everything that represents life and joy and happiness.  We do not want anything that represents sadness and brooding.

It was so quiet this morning at Hope that I found myself stepping lightly on the grass, stepping the way I used to step in my bedroom when I was little and told to quit stomping around upstairs.

It was so quiet that I felt that everything was still sleeping.  I happened upon this bird, who might as well have been sleeping.  Normally they sit still and sing, or they flutter around silently, but they never sit silently.  But this bird seemed quite happy, perched on his branch, quiet and reflective on Easter morning.

It was so quiet, I wanted to shout in the silence.  I wanted to shout, “Wake up, it’s Easter!”

After all, isn’t that our purpose in life?  According to Psalm 118:17, “I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD.”

I have four months left in my 365 Days of Hope project.  I began this journey in an effort to find purpose in my life, or to push myself to find a purpose beyond simply rolling out of bed in the morning.  Yes, there are days still when just washing my hair makes the day a successful one.  But I wanted—I still want—more.

So I travel to Hope every day.  I commit myself to Hope each day.  And in that I have found life and because of that I will praise God and declare His works every day, not just Easter.

Wake up.  What things we miss when the world is nothing but gray and heavy. 

Wake up.  Struggle.  Persist.  Cry.  Get angry.  Laugh. Talk to yourself.  Pray.  Move.  For you shall not die, but live.