This Woman

Easter is a very special time for me.  Not necessarily because I am particularly religious.  I'm not.  Like, at all.  This is where I hear you all gasp, and then crickets chirp.  #Awkward (See Mrs. Robinson?  I'm learning Twitter!).  I do love the religious concepts of Easter.  I love the formal Episcopal Holy Week and Easter services.  I love the psalms.  But mostly, I love Easter because of This Woman:

See, that's us.  Grandma and I, circa 1985.  Homies from the start.  My Grandmother loved Easter something fierce.  She loved Jesus, God, and the Church, and devoted a good chunk of her life to their service.  She was one of the first women to be ordained a Deacon by the Episcopal church in California.  They released balloons in the Sanctuary, and danced down the aisle with the Bishop.  I was sad to miss that party.

A party I didn't miss.  Don't worry, she didn't drink all that herself

Grandma was born on New Year's Eve, and was notorious for hating Christmas.  It was a big joke in our family, and I inherited her belief that Christmas music is only appropriate on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (and even then, only barely tolerated).  But Easter.  Easter was so special for her.

Her church sets off Fireworks, and has big parties for Easter.  They celebrate the resurrection in style, yo.  It's all about rejoicing.

I can't help but know that this rejoicing is because of her.  She was known as "The Churchlady", as she worked full-time for the church after retiring from being a teacher.  She worked for the church until a few years before she passed.

It doesn't really surprise me that Grandma passed the day after Christmas, after all, she was never a fan.  But every Easter is that much more poignant now.  She isn't around to tell me about the hootenany that she's planning for the evening celebration.  She isn't around to sigh when I tell her that I didn't have time to make it to Maundy Thursday service.

But I hear her voice in my head even more at this time of year.  I hear the things she said, the things that she would be saying now.  And my Easter is extra special, because I know she's with me.  Happy Easter, everyone.