Spring Fever....Easter Joy

I spend a lot of time walking the paths of Brecksville Reservation. If my time is limited I take a quick trek on the Tow Path or one of the maintained trails in the woods. But on those wonderful days when my time is open ended I head for the deer trails, for those are the places where I see things that are less familiar, less civilized. Either way, I am uplifted by the conversation between my heart and creation. I see things and think differently about them after spending time outside.

One of my deepest joys at this time of year is walking the familiar paths and seeing in that same place by that same stream the carpet of Spring Beauties…or Bloodroots. How can it be that right there by that tree there is always a Jack in the Pulpit of remarkable stature? It is reassuring and in some way satisfying to “know” that those wildflowers will most certainly emerge in those places I have marked in my memory.

Then there are other times when something so surprising is given. There on that boulder on that tiny patch of paper thin soil is a garden that wasn’t there last year.



If my vision was fixated on the familiar and expected growth I never would have noticed the appearance of the new growth in previously barren places. When I am aware of life’s ability to break in, break through and flourish, I am filled with something beyond “satisfaction”…. I am in awe.

Spring is the time when the world surges with energy and life. Some folks call it Spring Fever. We talk about greater vitality…even a degree of restlessness. We look for ways to express that vitality… in ways that are productive (like tending our gardens or waxing our cars) and sometimes in ways that are, quite honestly, just fun!

In the church, in this wonder-full season of Easter, we also experience the surge of energy and new life. We have seen it with the familiar streamers and flowers in the sanctuary…the traditional greeting of “ Christ is Risen, Alleluia!” The church property is re-visited by daffodils, tulips (in the courtyard) and the kill-deer.

This Easter Season, unlike others, we are walking the unfamiliar path of saying good-bye to Pastor Bob. Things will look different…. in terms of our emotions as well as our ability to “know” what the summer or next fall will bring. The basic roots of our shared ministry will stay the same, but in the terrain of a new phase of CRLC’s life things will emerge in new and different ways.

Here at CRLC Easter Joy is blending with Spring Fever, inviting each of us to celebrate…give thanks…be glad! We can embrace opportunities to express gratitude to Pastor Bob even as we walk together the (unfamiliar) path to which God is calling us.

So is Spring Fever knocking at your door? I hope so… and I hope you get caught up in its power surge… because along with the rest of creation, we at Christ the Redeemer are being drawn into the new, fresh and joyful life of Christ’s Resurrection! Expect awesome and wonderful things!