ALICE

Easter is my favorite day on the church calendar. It's not because Easter provides the central message of Christianity. Nor is it because of the promise of rebirth and renewal that comes with Easter.  Easter is a deeply personal experience for me.  You see, growing up I always attended Easter services with my sainted grandmother Alice. Alice was born in England and was a proper Anglican woman to her very core. Each year we would both rise and sing her favorite hymn, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" from our place in the pews. Even after all these years I can still hear her voice.

And every Easter since her death I can feel her presence with me when that hymn is sung. Every year I look forward to spending Easter with her. And today, as always, she stood by my side, and I was no longer a 63 year old man. Instead I was transformed into that child from long ago, holding my grandmother's hand as we sing together.