APRIL 2019
I COME TO FIGHT. I DON’T BARK. I BITE! WWW.THETEXASLAWDOG.COM 817.775.5364
OF EASTER In the Spirit
E aster is a mixed-up affair: Fluffy bunnies and candies often take dissonance, a tangle of images — empty caves versus chocolate eggs, daffodils versus crowns of thorns. I'm a Christian and Easter is a significant date for me as it is the foundation of the Christian faith. I believe what the Bible says in Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24. Jesus, the Son of God, fulfilled prophecy and, through his death, has given the gift of eternal life in heaven to those who believe in his death and resurrection. My family attended church regularly when I was a child. We were not “Creasters.” A Creaster is a Christian who only attends Christmas and Easter services. My mom always made sure we all had new Easter outfits to wear to Easter service. One of my fondest memories is her getting me a white sports coat to wear on Easter when I was about 10 years old. Miami Vice was a popular show at the time, and I thought I was cool like Don Johnson on the show! precedence over the tale of a young man being tortured to death. We could say it suffers from symbolic
Sugar (left) and Cleo (right)
of acres. There were many years when she held sunrise services at her pond. I have such fond
memories of watching the sun rise over that pond on Easter mornings. We also attended a small country church where the enrollment was only around 60 people. The ladies were always given an Easter lily to wear on their dress at church. My parents always made sure I enjoyed the more commercial aspects of Easter, as well. This included your typical bunnies, baskets, candy, eggs, and so on. Growing up on a farm, there were a couple of Easters where I even had real bunnies. The Easter Bunny made sure I always had a basket to wake up to on Easter morning chock-full of goodies. I always had my heart set on getting a big chocolate bunny to eat. My mom and sister would make a cake that was decorated to look like a bunny with colored coconut topping, licorice whiskers, and Hershey Kisses for eyes. Like many families, we also decorated eggs the week before to have eggs to hunt on Easter Sunday. The hard-boiled eggs were fun to decorate. And, of course, hunting for the eggs was always a blast as a kid. My parents would take me to different places to hunt, such as churches and our neighbors’ houses. As we got older, the kids still enjoyed hunting for the prize egg, which sometimes had $100 inside!
Easter is a transition — it brings spring, the revival of dormant plants and trees, and the birth of new life in the animal world. I wish you all a happy Easter and happy spring!
-Matt Aulsbrook 1
All dressed up, we attended Easter sunrise services. Our neighbor had a pond that was at least a couple
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