It’s been an interesting week or so. My father in law had a heart attack a week ago and was scheduled for bypass surgery last week. My husband went to Kansas City to spend time with his dad before the surgery but then there were complications. Finally, after a long week in ICU, they are heading to surgery today. And we are praying.

All of these events have brought to mind several Easters past. What is it about this time of year? My mom has always said ‘Old folks die when the sap rises and falls.” That means spring and autumn. My grandfather died in April. A friend’s father died in April. And yet, a dear friend who was not old at all died Easter weekend. And my own father’s funeral was on Good Friday just two years ago. So instead of Easter bunnies and Easter eggs, I tend to think of funeral flowers and losing loved ones at this time of year. Makes me feel a little like Bryn, my character in Once in a Blue Moon.

This week, of course, we were very concerned that we would lose my husband’s father. And I ultimately don’t know what God’s plan is and how the rest of this week will turn out. Quintuple bypass surgery is difficult and the recovery is not easy, so we are praying for Glenn. Surprisingly or maybe not surprisingly at all, I find peace in Easter. Because it doesn’t all end here. I don’t have to grieve for those who have gone on and who knew Jesus as their savior. Because in Jesus, who died for our sins and was resurrected, we find victory over all the grief and sorrow. In Jesus, we find life. In Jesus, we find resurrection. Because HE is the way, the truth and the life. Because He is the resurrection and the life. Because he holds the keys to heaven. He is the door through which we must go to receive eternal life. And for that, I am grateful. No matter if it’s April or some other time of year, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves, whether the sap is rising or falling or somewhere in between, Easter holds the answer: the cross is the key. Through the cross, through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, we can find hope.