Dogwood Sunset
Just in time for Easter the dogwoods are in bloom. There are some that say the dogwood flower has Easter symbolism all over it: the four petals for the shape of the cross, the holes in each petal (that are tinged red) for the nails in Jesus’s hands and feet, and the crown of the thorns in the middle of the flower. I don’t know but I like the thought of God putting visual symbols of the cross onto a flower. People have said the same about donkeys (like the one that Jesus rode into Jerusalem) because they bear a cross down their back.
The dogwoods are lovely. They form lacy patterns through the back woods. When we moved into the house we had before this one, there were dogwoods blooming in the woods. I remember looking at them through the upstairs bathroom window with Mama. “Look the dogwoods are bloom around your home”, she said. “Don’t you just feel like a princess?” I have always remembered that. She loved dogwood trees.
How I miss her.
She loved Easter- all of it. The spiritual meaning- that the grave could not hold our Lord, but she also loved all that came with the holiday. She almost always wore a big hat to church. She decorated her table with bunnies and chicks and filled the candy drawers for us with Cadbury Eggs and jelly beans.
She made everything special.
I am grateful this Easter because I know Mama is with Jesus. I know that death could not hold her either because of what he did for her. I imagine her dancing in the warm light of heaven. I can hear her whispering “rock step, cha-cha-cha, back step, cha-cha-cha.” She loved to dance. She would dance with me anywhere I would let her — the mall, the grocery store — but my personal favorite was dancing with her in the kitchen. She always kept time with a soft clucking of her mouth. I miss leaning into her safe arms to dance.
Happy Easter, Mama. The dogwoods are blooming. I still feel like a princess.
Matthew 28:7 ~”Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.’ “
This Side of Heaven