By Rosie Moore
The wild sweet rain of April spills
On golden-throated daffodils
On garden walls and new green bough
On earth fresh-turned before the plough.
It scrubs the pansy’s small shy face
And shines each blade of grass in place
to leave the springtime world aglow,
And lift my heart to walk tiptoe
For a long time hated the month of April–literally, especially the eleventh day of April, the day my oldest son went to be with God. A few years later a landlady whom I rented from collected the rent on Friday. The following Monday, April eleventh, she was gone. A few years later another friend was gone on the eleventh. I wanted April to pass quickly. I wanted it over with.
Then one year Easter came in April. The horror of the crucifixion then the phenomenal story of Christ’s resurrection stirred my heart. Surely I could erase the horror of my April life–it was nothing compared to what Christ went through. Due to the grace of God, the death and resurrection of His son saved everyone from their sin and shame, and my unhappiness during the month of April. Luke 24:6 states, “He is not here. He is risen” -glorious words for Christians everywhere to remember.
Easter also evokes memories of the beautiful Easter lily. Lilies adorn the sanctuary of my church on Easter morning to commemorate the memories of loved ones who have gone before or for friends who are suffering. We can thank Louis Houghton, a World War I soldier for the popularity of the lily. He brought a suitcase full of hybrid lily bulbs in 1919 to the southern coast of Oregon and gave them to family and friends to plant. The climate there was ideal for growing this lily.
History, mythology, and art are filled with stories and images that speak of the beauty and majesty of the elegant white flowers. Often called, “The White-robed Apostles of Hope’, lilies are said to be found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony. Christ said, “consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Happy Easter!
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