Reflections for Easter Monday

When searching for her in a book of names you will learn that it means "butterfly". In grade school this rather embarrassed me as my friends "Listener of God" (Samantha), "Pure" (Cathy), "God's Princess" (Sarah) and many "God Saves" (Joshua) and "Gift of God"s (Jonathan) paraded around with the spiritual names; I was stuck with a bug.

Later, I learned to appreciate the beauty and fragility of this small creature, as well as its strength and resilience. Certainly not disregarding the symbolism of new life as experienced in our Christian journey.

The Baptist tradition which I grew up in did not recognise Easter Monday, apart from it being the day you did not want to have a dental appointment due to the chocolate bunnies and jelly beans which disappeared the day before.

However, for the last nine years I've lived in a Christian community which considers and celebrates this and many other events in the Christian church calendar. This Easter season began with sweet pancakes of Shrove Tuesday, sorrowful ashes of Ash Wednesday, the long travail through the Lenten journey, the warmth of memories on Mothering Sunday, rejoicing at Palm Sunday and the emotion and power of Holy Week, culminating in the victorious resurrection celebrated on Easter Sunday morning.Easter Monday is a day away from the office, no classes are taught and the buses run on holiday schedule. This is the first day of a new journey, a new and fresh hope. The flower buds are showing their spring colours, the butterfly wriggles nearly ready to burst from her cocoon and all are invited to reflect on the past days and renew their vision for the future.

On my journey this butterfly will test her wings in a different field. The Lenten weeks are passed. The struggles, the frustrations and disappointments have been many, but have not broken her spirit. On this Easter Monday 2010, a fresh breeze is blowing clear a new and exciting path.