Feeling Is Believing

The reason I celebrate Easter is to commemorate the fact that Jesus, his physical body and everything else, came back from death.






 It has always been my favorite celebration. It's one of the reasons I chose to follow Him those many years ago; and still is a huge reason I continue to choose Him.

I went to church today. I've been taking a break from going, and when they started singing, I felt like I was home.  I love music, not the traditional hymns, but newer ones.  Our church has an amazing band and singing team, I always get lost in the feeling of love, of focusing on Jesus as a person; what He did for me.


Music gives me a break from my mind and helps me delve into my soul.  And today the music took me there.  It's hard to put into words, but in spite of what politics and western society has done to Jesus and His teachings, I still call myself a follower.  And am proud and humbled at the same time to be a follower.

Looking at the origins of Easter, it actually wasn't a 'Christian Holiday' to begin with.  There's a lot of information out there and frankly, it would be too boring to turn this into a research paper, but just let me say this: I use Easter to celebrate Christ coming back from the dead.  Because of that, I find it difficult, even if I observed the Pagan version, to go out and buy gifts for the children in my life.  It seems it's getting more and more popular to do that. I see no purpose in it.  I'll do the Easter Basket thing.  Actually, I put them together usually the night  before Easter and then at our family get together, I give them to my grandkids.

However to me, at church, I felt a very sobering presence; an other worldly type feeling.





 It was good! It caused my mind to focus on God...Such a big word, such a big name!!





The mind and God just don't mix too well in my book, in my world.  I know there are people who love the theology and can discuss and , or debate the teachings of Christ and of the bible. Trust me, I know people who can rattle off bible verses to explain anything they want to explain.  But me?  I would rather absorb and appreciate the mystery. The mystery of how me, a human of the 21st century, feels connected with a dead person who claims to have come back from the dead.  I feel Him, just like I sometimes feel my dead father, or mother, or my young, dead boyfriend.  I feel Jesus, even though I've never physically met Him...I feel Him.

Today at church I felt Him.  I also felt the 'great cloud of witnesses' too....the other dead people I've known and loved but who didn't claim to physically come back.






 Which is neither here nor there about what they did or didn't claim. But what they all have in common on a personal level, is that they all claimed to have loved me.  And I feel them.  That is, indeed, a mystery.  Because of Jesus, death has lost it's sting.  That's enough for me.

"If we find ourselves with desires that nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world."  c.s. lewis


Happy Easter to you all.

The Things You Wish You Knew Earlier

Sitting here on a Saturday morning chillin'.  Dogs are at dog park and I'm enjoying the quiet! As I do , I am also enjoying one of my favorite things, reading quotes.  One of the best pieces I've every read (and heard, it's on a video) is "Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen".  Reading some of the quotes there brought up nostalgia and warm feelings.




 "Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good." That, in particular, pulled at my heart strings.



  My father died when he was a year younger than I am now. A massive heart attack. A few hours later he was gone.  In the ambulance on the way to the hospital he told the MT guy, "I think this is it for me.'  I think about his last few minutes so often. He was very strong, stubborn, charismatic, opinionated and straight to the point.  I admired his ethics. I admired the fact that he was a true believer and achiever of the American Dream. He built something out of nothing.  Life is never the same after someone that influential in your life is no longer around. At least not around physically. On a rare occasion I can almost feel him.



My mother died ten years later.  A couple of days after she died we all received little cards in the mail telling us she loved us.  Most everything I know about how to love well I learned from her.   She was a great listener.  I would sit for hours and talk about things.  She listened.  I loved telling her about the song lyrics that meant so much to me. She listened. I would tell her about boyfriends, friends, most anything.   But there were a few times I listened to her.  She had a couple of boyfriends.  There were men interested in her, they just fed her ego, which in my opinion, is awesome.  I listened to stories about what a rebel she was. You wouldn't have known it. She had morals that caused her a lot of pain later in life. Thinking things should be a certain way.  I blame that on religion, not truth; But inside she was a rebel who always questioned.  That's why this beautiful, sweet little Catholic girl ran away to Chicago, worked at a radio station and found her future husband.  A Jewish guy.  Catholics weren't supposed to marry Jews. And of course, even more so, Jews were not to marry Catholics.  Religion can really screw people up!!!


I really didn't get to know my parents the way I wish I would have now.  I miss them every day.  The pain is sort of gone, but the emptiness never leaves.  It's something you get used to. It's just a part of life.




 I wish my parents could see my new grandson.  Yet I think they do.  Not sure, but probably.




Nostalgia and memories......sweet!



Another quote that is probably the best advice I've ever heard is, "Keep your old love letters. Throw away your bank statements."  Of course I didn't.  I had kept one.  It was from my young boyfriend.  He died at 18.  And his words meant the world to me. Especially later in life.  He signed it, "No matter what happens, I will always love you." I even made a photo copy of that letter. After moving from one state to another, I finally lost it.  I wish I still had it.





 Ahhhhh youth.

Nostalgia.  Nothing beats it.  Tonight, where ever you are, have a glass of red with me, watch the video below,  and toast to good advice and nostalgia.


https://youtu.be/xavFb4WH7o0

Copy and paste in the address bar....It's totally worth the time and effort.