EASTER WEEKEND

I always find this weekend emotional, regardless of when it falls in the calendar. It seems to have been a pivotal time for our family on many occasions and consequently brings back many memories. One of the happiest was when James's was christened. It seemed appropriate, having been born on Christmas Day, to do the baptism thing on Easter Sunday. My Dad did the baptism, carrying our little scrap around the church and showing him off to the congregation. He was so proud! And the bitter sweet memory, is of Dad's memorial service, just days before Easter. Never could I have imagined such an uplifting occasion. We'd just lost our Dad and yet the day was filled with smiles and laughter and happy memories and ridiculous anecdotes. One of the ministers said that when she heard Jim had passed away she had said, "Thank God. Jim will be home for Easter." This might seem a complete nonsense to many people, but I think that as a family we took huge comfort from those words.  So I suppose my thoughts this morning are of my Dad and how much I still miss him.