Easter Now and Then

Easter Now and Then – we have come full circle now since 2020. Last Easter we were told that gathering with family and friends could be and was a deadly thing to do. So there were very few church services, family dinners, or anything else that went on at Easter time 2020.

This year we now have the vaccine in place and some have received their shots while others either don’t want to get the shot or have not been given the approval to go and get the shot. I received my Moderna second shot this week. Yes, I did not feel good for about two days but I was prepared for not feeling well. I had learned through others what the possible side effects might be and took precautions to combat the flu-like symptoms and I lived through it all to enjoy Easter 2021. I will be going to church for the first time in over a year and I will finally get to hug my grandchildren. I haven’t seen them since last June and I am looking forward to seeing them in person instead of a Zoom call.

Easter Now and Then – was always a nice time of year in my small mid-western town in Illinois. Winter was finally over and Spring was ushered in by the blooming of my mother’s red tulips along the drive-way. We also had Lilly-of-Valley and Crous that peeked their heads out of the ground just in time to make great pictures for Easter. My next-door neighbor usually had Lilacs in bloom and she always gave me some to take to school for my teacher. They smelled so heavenly!

My brothers and I always went to church and Sunday school and Easter and Christmas was the only time we went together as a complete family. My mother was a seamstress and she always had a new sewing pattern and material to make me the prettiest dresses each year. Of course, that meant my brothers had to get new clothes as well. My mother’s favorite place to shop was JCPenney, so my brothers usually went kicking and screaming to get outfitted for their Easter wardrobe. As you can see in the picture above when my mother took our yearly Easter picture my brothers just loved putting on their Easter clothes – NOT!

In my town, on Good Friday the town would shut down for a few hours so that everyone who wanted to could attend church. We had several Catholic churches when I lived there so it was important to honor their wishes and no one minded it.

It was a time to put on our ” Sunday Best” and catch up with family and friends after a long winter. We always looked forward to the Easter baskets and those chocolate bunnies. My mother would always prepare a wonderful Easter Sunday meal and it was usually a quiet day after church.

My mother always wanted to take those pictures of us every Easter with our new clothes. Over the years we just learned that this was one of her favorite things to do each year and we went along with it – like we had a choice! I look back on these pictures now and just smile at a time when things were so much simpler and easygoing. In a lot of ways, they are days I miss today.

If you can be with your family and friends this Easter 2021 please be grateful. Many families will not have their family members, all they will have is their memories to look back on after the pandemic.