Growing up, Easter Sunday meant putting on bright colored dresses and attending the service at our Anglican Church. My father would make his waffles and a huge mess in the kitchen. It was a feat to rouse a family of seven (my parents included). “Awfuls are ready” he would bellow. “Feet on the floor”. And if you didn’t put your feet on the floor he would do it for you. I remember my attempts to dangle my feet over the side of the bed towards the floor didn’t work . Yup, the things we would all do to try and borrow a little more shut-eye time brought lots of laughter among us.

Whether you are religious or go to Church or not the Easter message is one that we can all relate to. It is about enduring hardship and maintaining a steadfast belief that a new day, a return of life, vitality, excitement and joy is possible because the resurrection is real and inevitable. You could say its a universal truth and this is why we have seasons. All the more fitting that Easter should take place in spring. The season of rebirth.

This morning I am thinking of Mother Teresa and how she touched so many lives offering hope through her simple teachings. The poem below seems to embody all the messages surrounding Easter.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered

Forgive them anyway

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives

Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies

Succeed anyway

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you

Be honest and frank anyway

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight

Build anyway

If you find serenity and happiness, others may be jealous

Be happy anyway

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow

Do good anyway

If you give the world the best you have, it may never be enough

Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.