It is no mistake that Easter occurs in the spring and some years like this one it is later than others. This afternoon after lunch I took a walk in the woods here at Mount Irenaeus. All along the trail as I walked slowly through the wood were signs of the earth coming to life after months of slumber during the winter. I marveled at the incredible forces that we lovingly call nature and how this delicate dance plays out each year as the suns warms the earth to just the right temperature. Suddenly flowers appear where only days before were leaves pressed to the forest floor from months of snow and rain. Easter is a time when we celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. It has been over 2000 years since the historical Jesus was arrested, crucified, buried and resurrected. No matter whether you are a follower of Christ or not there is no doubt that each year the earth enters a period of arrest in late fall, is entombed through the winter and rises again in the spring. This new life which comes from the death of the old demonstrates that death is a part of life. Each spring the earth rises from the dead as it were. The flowers along the trail, the chipmunks and robins scurrying and flying about are cause for rejoicing. Hallelujah! The earth is risen!
Inspiration
I took a drive this afternoon over to lovely Letchworth State Park. This photo of the Letchworth gorge at Inspiration Point attempted to capture the grandeur of the Genesee River gorge there. Standing there in the sun this afternoon I was filled with a profound sense of gratitude at having made it to another spring. Like my grandmother before me, spring is my favorite season of the year. It is a resurrection of all that is beautiful. Today I watched hawks gliding gracefully through the crisp spring air and there was a hint of new growth on the forest floor at the edge of the gorge.
As I stood there I thought of the thousands of years it took to form this lovely canyon called by many the “Grand Canyon of the East.” I thought too of the Native Americans who first enjoyed this vista, the early American settlers to the region and the thousands of us who come each year to witness once again the grandeur of this place.