Easter and Eclipse

Dear Friends in Christ,

Some time ago, I was a recreation therapist working in addictions—specifically at an inpatient and outpatient center that offered 90 days of residential treatment to men and women with addiction disorders. Often, as a mode of treatment, I would read children’s books to the patients and then have them relate to the story through artwork. We had recently read the book: The Brown Bottle by Penny Jones (1983). This story delves into the addiction process and the transformation that occurs when in sustained treatment, or does not occur, as the main character, Charlie the Caterpillar, realizes. Spoiler alert: he does not change into a beautiful butterfly as his friends do.

We had recently completed the assignment that I described earlier, and on this day, I arrived at the center with the men eagerly and anxiously wanting to talk with me and show me something. Before I had even stepped in the door, the men showed me this spot on the top step of the front entrance. “Charlie came to treatment!” they exclaimed excitedly. “Charlie figured out he needed help.” And, sure enough, right in front of me was this caterpillar frozen in time at the commotion taking place around him.

This was my experience on Easter Day and Easter Monday. I was filled with the excitement of the “new Light” at the Vigil service, the beauty of the sunrise imagining being on the beach, the quiet of the early service, and the boisterous singing at the later service as we again celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, our Lord. I felt renewed. I felt close to Christ.

Monday was the 2024 Eclipse of the Sun. As I watched the TV coverage, the excitement was palpable—almost party-like—across the country as individuals gathered in large groups and looked skyward. In 2017 I was in the line of totality and saw the eclipse from my workplace. It was just as thrilling to see a partial eclipse a few days ago as it was back then. God’s awesome light show and power all at the same time.

If you were to ask me if these two days were transformative for me, I would answer, “Yes.” Easter is meant to be transformative. Easter has started off great! I am excited to see what God has in store in our lives as we live together in faith, trusting and believing in the risen Lord.

Blessings,

Rev. Anne+