My excuse for not writing in April and the basis of this reflection are one and the same. In this joyous season of Easter there are countless themes to reflect on and endless images to reflect the reality of resurrection. This Easter has been especially powerful for me as a result of two very foundational concerns – life and death – my own!
Less than four weeks ago I experienced first-hand a taste of my mortality. My Holy Week and Easter-tide have been a celebration of life, love, and resurrection in a way I never would have expected as I wrote my last entry here. A routine set of medical tests revealed that I was dangerously close to a life threatening event. Only immediate care saved me from dire circumstances. As I waited a few short hours until doctors would enter my body with tiny instruments and manipulate the danger zone, I was quickly slapped in the face with the sting of my own mortality. Life taken loosely for granted, became life firmly held onto and cherished. How quickly the importance of the presence (and absence) of loved ones became vitally important! How earnestly did I watch the pained faces and hear the concerned voices of those who cared. How preciously did I value each moment, each hand-hold, each kiss. The grayscale of everyday life all at once burst into technicolor and no detail was unimportant or unnoticed.
The medical attention was successful and recovery has been complete. Aside from some needed lifestyle changes and the help of modern medicine, most of the rhythms of my day-to-day life have returned to “normal.” And yet, normal now includes the memory of those critical hours and the love that followed. The outpouring of concern, the follow-up calls, the constant inquiries into my moment-to-moment well being, I can never forget.
Life has come more clearly into focus. The many ways that God reached out to me in love through his faithful people – my love, my family and friends, helped me to experience Holy Week and Easter in a new and more personal way. A reminder of mortality has also become a reminder of the immense love that surrounds me and everyone. The Easter message became for me a reminder to reflect, to magnify, and to share the love that I have been given. The “new life” I was given must be given to all those who have yet to experience it. Oh yes, we are an Easter people … and alleluia is our song! I give thanks to all of you for your love, your faith, and your gifts. “I give thanks to my God always for you, for the grace of God that is given you in Christ Jesus” (1 Cor. 1:4). I give thanks to God for all God has given me. I sing today the Easter Alleluia a little louder this year and hope you do the same! Easter blessings be upon you, now and always!!!
