All my Jesus trees (the dogwood trees) are blooming, and all the flowers in my beds are beginning to come to life. It’s officially spring and nearly Easter.
The only “little” we have this year that looks for the Easter Bunny and to hiding the colored eggs and trying to find all of them is our little Emmie Jo, now 3 years old. All the others are teenagers, but I can still so vividly remember when they, too, were rainbow-colored egg scavengers. Now, they are all grown up and have not really hunted in years — that is, until Emmie, and now they all want to help her find her dyed and painted treasures.
As for how the character of the Easter Bunny made its way to America, it was first introduced in the 1700s by German immigrants to Pennsylvania, who brought their tradition of an egg-laying hare named “Osterhase” from the old country. The big rabbit would lay colorful eggs as gifts to children who were good. The children would often lay out carrots in case the rabbit got hungry. Remind you of any other holiday traditions? Eventually, the custom spread across America until it became an Easter tradition. The fabled bunny expanded from just eggs to include other treats, candies and toys.
As for our family’s traditions and customs, we will all gather once again at our little log house in the country to enjoy a noon meal of the scrumptious feast I have spent days preparing, to enjoy catching up on our lives, and most of all, for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord.
Years ago, I would shine my best silver, wash my “rabbit” dishes, gather my best serving dishes, lay out my cloth napkins and cover my long table with a fabric tablecloth. It was absolutely beautiful. Now, many years later, we eat off really nice paper plates, the good kind, use paper napkins, help your plate from the stove, try to find you a seat and enjoy all the comradery. It’s loud, everyone talks at once, reaches for the same serving spoon, grabs the last roll, and complains about how much they ate.
Yes, it’s quite different as to how we serve and enjoy our Easter meal at this time in our lives, but there is undeniably the same end result. We leave the special place in the country with the feeling of friends, family, and the renewal of our spring and our faith.
The following will be one of my desserts this year:
Lemon blueberry trifle
• 3 cups of fresh blueberries
• 2 cans of lemon pie filling
• 2 cups lemon yogurt
• 1 store-bought angel food cake cut into 1” squares
• 1 (8 oz.) carton of thawed whip topping
• Lemon slices and fresh mint
Set aside one cup of blueberries for garnish. Combine pie filling and yogurt. In the bottom of a trifle bowl or a big bowl, layer a third of the cake cubes, lemon mixture and blueberries. Repeat twice and top with blueberries, whipped topping, lemon slices and fresh mint.
