Easter Egg hunting

Grainola Methodist Church

I have to tell you I loved Easter Egg hunting and everything around it.  Every year mom and probably Debbie, my sister, made a big effort to make Easter special.  Dad always thought Debbie was the prettiest little girl and use to tell me how he loved to see her in a pretty Easter dress.  Mom would always make sure we had an Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies and there was always a chocolate bunny  in the basket.  I think Easter was more special than Christmas at our house.  On Easter morning the baskets filled with green plastic grass were set on the fireplace which was now cold because the winter cold was gone and spring was here.

You knew it was spring and almost Easter evidenced by the yellow daffodils strung around the yard. As a little side note the dandelion were in full bloom with their yellow tops throughout the yard, fields and around the barns.  I personally loved them and of course when they matured we liked to pick them and blow the seeds into the air to float off for another spring bloom.

Mom and Dad always made sure we were shined up for Easter services at the Grainola Methodist Church.  That meant we had to polish our shoes and many times if not every time we had some new clothes we got at Newman's department store in Ark City (Arkansas City for the non-locals)  and that was in Kansas north of the state line.  Mom always dressed up on Sundays but on Easter Mom and dad were spit-shined.  Mom always looked so pretty and her hair was black back then.  In fact she sure did maintain it as black for a long long time.  Dad would wear a tie and felt hat.

Sometimes we would have a sunrise service on a hill where there generally were three crosses planted.  I hated getting up early enough to make it but once I was there I thought it was fantastic.  After the services there were Easter egg hunts and food on the grounds of the church.  Sometimes the day before Easter we would have large gatherings at the school for a celebration  of Easter.  All the men would gather up the eggs which had been colored over the last several days and they would make us kids hide while they hid the eggs.  Back then they would tape a penny or nickle or even a dime to an egg for something special.  I always wanted to get the most.  It was a real competition and just about everyone in town would come to the festivities.

Well, what else did I love about Easter?  It was all about new beginnings and I really think that is why the celebration of Jesus and His Resurrection was in the spring.   Think about it, the grass starts turning green again, the wheat starts thickening, the calves start gaining weight, new calves and pigs and lambs are being born and even the chickens start producing more as the days are getting longer.  The cellar where all the winter food was stored is starting to get bare and it is time to clean it and get ready for another canning season.  The cattle get less interested in coming in to the pickup loaded with hay because there is fresh grass to be eaten.  That is also when the fishing starts to get going and we start going to the creek on a regular basis to drop in a line.

One last thing today and that is if you have never smelled the fresh turned soil just before planting or the fresh rain in spring with that really clean smell you are not spending enough time outside.  GO right now and experience the joy of spring.

What do you learn in the Osage?

• Spring is full of joy if you look for it
• Exercise and being outdoors is a privilege, take advantage, NOW
• Jesus is the real reason for the season

Thanks for your time,

gary@thepioneerman.com