Flashback Friday: Writing Your Story One Week at a Time

 

I’m writing this at 10:30 on Thursday night. Ryan and I were gone this evening to serve at a service at our church, and then we had to pick up some groceries, and then we remembered we had laundry in the washer and a loaf of bread to make. Whoopsie. So the laundry is tumbling and the bread is kneading (thank you, bread maker, for your service) and I am writing to you.

            Today is Good Friday, and whether you’re off work, at work, on spring break, or staycationing, I urge you to take some time to think about the significance of this day.

            This Easter weekend inspired my Flashback Friday topic today – and it’s to think about how you celebrated Easter growing up. I’ve written before about how my family participated in the Marion Easter Pageant and how deeply it shaped my Easter experiences as a child, teenager, and even young adult. I wrote about how much I miss it, lessons I learned from it, shared pictures of it, and some more memories, too.

            All my childhood memories involve this pageant. I remember going to the Headquarters of the pageant (housed in a big old house that smelled like stored costumes…because it did just that) and sitting at a big table to listen to the director go over our parts with us. We played the same parts every year, but she still explained them to us and wanted us to understand the importance of each one.

            I remember going to all the rehearsals in the big, cold gym and seeing all the people we hadn’t seen since the previous year at the same time.

            I remember all the kids gathering beside the orchestra pit to watch and listen to a demonstration on how they created the thunder for the storm so we wouldn’t be scared when it happened during the presentation.

            I remember Wednesday night dress rehearsal, when we finally saw everyone in costume for the first time. I remember how we always went out for a snack after and people would stare at our strange makeup.

            I remember going to bed so early on the Saturday night before Easter and willing myself to fall asleep, because the alarm would go off at 3:15. You know what guarantees a person to NOT fall asleep? A 3:15 a.m. alarm.

            I remember finally falling asleep about 3:14. 😉

            I remember parking in the darkness of night, a block away from the big old building, and half-walking, half-running through the slightly sketchy city streets toward the back door of the building, inside, and down the hall to our frigid dressing room. I remember drinking chocolate milk and eating donuts before putting on the dark makeup. The water for makeup application was always freezing.

            And after the sunrise presentation of the Pageant, we ran out the door and toward the car so we could hurry home, pull off all the dark brown makeup, and get dressed for Easter church.

            Mom always had an Easter basket for me, and I would eagerly dig through it as soon as I’d gotten ready for the day. Candy, nail polish, books…always fun treats inside.

            I always had a new dress for Easter Sunday – and a hat too, when I was younger. New white shoes. Sometimes a new purse!

            We went to church, where I would continue to find traces of brown makeup, and when I was very young, I usually fell asleep during the service. 3:15 a.m. wake-up calls and kiddos don’t mix well.

            After church, we would go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for lunch with the extended family. And then we would go home to nap some more.

            Ryan and I have our own Easter traditions, including exchanging Easter baskets and usually getting new clothes, too.

            So as you think about and write about life this week…

What were your Easter traditions?

Did you have Easter baskets? What kinds of things did you find in them?

Did you get new Easter dresses? Hats? Gloves? Shoes?

Did you go to special Holy Week services? Sing in a church cantata?

Did your family have Easter egg hunts?

Were there foods you had ever year on Easter?

Did your church have special traditions?

            I always love seeing how traditions change for people over the years. Don’t neglect to document how you celebrated your Easters!