Non-Easter Easter

It is embarrassing to say but Easter could very easily slip by and no one would notice in China if you weren’t willing to make it happen.  It once again impresses me that without all the commercial trapping that goes with holidays in the U.S. the religious holidays are exactly what you make them or more importantly whatever you want them to be.  I have become accustomed to having the commercial aspects guide and mold my responses to Easter.  So being completely on my own in a country where religion is not regarded I began to contemplate what Easter 2014 will bring to me.

I love the photos that my children post of my grandchildren and I am saddened that there will be dinners and gatherings of my children and grandchildren and I will not be able to enjoy their company.  I am experiencing Easter without Easter celebrations but I could not imagine Easter without my children and grandchildren.  I will celebrate vicariously through the experiences of my family posted and related in my little 350 square feet of living space in China.

I just read that a week long social media effort by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to share the Easter story and to give hope through Jesus Christ is getting worldwide attention. The initiative, titled “Because of Him,” includes a YouTube video released in 20 languages that has been viewed more than 2 million times since it was posted on Palm Sunday, 13 April 2014. I must confess that at least 50 of those hits were mine.  It has been such a treat to watch this video and reflect what that means to me and the blessings in my life that have been afforded by sacrifice.

We are planning a very simple and basic day on Easter Sunday.  We will take a cab to attend church in a rented room at the Ramada Inn on the Pearl River.  Our congregation is small but large in quality; such great strong expatriates live in China. We will look forward to talking to our grandchildren on Monday morning, a little belated Easter blessing for us.  That will be our simple but utilitarian Easter 2014 that covers the most important things in our life.