About a month before Easter, Mother would measure me and then sit down at her old Singer treadle machine and sew away. When I was a small child, Mother made my dresses from colorful feed sack material, provided by my uncle, who owned a feed store. What I remember most about those dresses were how itchy they were against my tender skin no matter how many times Mother washed them. Because my feet grew faster than any part of me, we would go to Berryville Mercantile and Arlis Hanna would fit me with a pair of shoes.
Mother and I would dye a few eggs on Saturday before Easter but she always reminded me that Jesus' death and resurrection were the real reasons we celebrated Easter. After church, family gathered at my grandpa's for dinner. After ward , one of the adults would hide the eggs and my cousin and I would delight in each and every one we found.
One of the things I remember most about Easter were the sunrise services we attended on Saunders Heights. Most of the time at those 6:00 a.m. services, it was so cold we had to wear our coats. And, of course, Mother never let me wear my new shoes or Easter dress for fear of getting my shoes scuffed or my dress dirty before church services. They must be saved for the 11:00 service at the big red brick church down past the post office. The ladies would all have on their new Easter bonnets and the little girls, their new dresses and shoes. Men generally wore suits whether it was Easter or not.
As we celebrate Easter tomorrow, I am so thankful for the gift God gave us; the gift of His Son, who died on a rugged cross to pay for our sins. It matters not to God what we wear to services. What matters to Him is the condition of our hearts. When we receive Him into our hearts, we are then dressed in His righteousness, no matter what our attire.
"Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10 (TLB)
One of the things I remember most about Easter were the sunrise services we attended on Saunders Heights. Most of the time at those 6:00 a.m. services, it was so cold we had to wear our coats. And, of course, Mother never let me wear my new shoes or Easter dress for fear of getting my shoes scuffed or my dress dirty before church services. They must be saved for the 11:00 service at the big red brick church down past the post office. The ladies would all have on their new Easter bonnets and the little girls, their new dresses and shoes. Men generally wore suits whether it was Easter or not.
As we celebrate Easter tomorrow, I am so thankful for the gift God gave us; the gift of His Son, who died on a rugged cross to pay for our sins. It matters not to God what we wear to services. What matters to Him is the condition of our hearts. When we receive Him into our hearts, we are then dressed in His righteousness, no matter what our attire.
"Let me tell you how happy God has made me! For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and draped about me the robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom in his wedding suit or a bride with her jewels." Isaiah 61:10 (TLB)
