Happy Easter: We Used to Send Postcards

We used to send postcards...a lot, and it was a fun way to let people know we were thinking about them when we traveled. But I do not recall ever sending one at Easter time. Below is an Easter postcard sent from Norway, addressed to my grandparents in America in the early 1900s. The scribbling on front was probably my mother's doing or that of one of her five siblings.

I've never saved postcards for long. Have you? Perhaps I should have. I did find an old collection of greeting cards once in a drawer. Some were for Easter, not the Easter bunny kind for kids, but those celebrating the resurrection of Christ. For some reason they were never sent. To be frank, the holiday never really caught on with Hallmark or other card makers as it had with the other holidays. Not that it never caught on with me. I still attend sunrise services. But I sometimes blame the loss of Easter on the school system when spring break stopped falling on this holiday. Just a theory. Perhaps, it was one too many Christian celebrations to keep in the mix, I'm not sure, but let's face it, both Christmas and Easter can easily be celebrated without any reference to Christ.   

I come from a family of Lutherans, both German Lutherans and Norwegian Lutherans. My closest German ancestors pretty much lost their faith, despite one Rader ancestor who had ridden horseback all over Missouri evangelizing his neighbors and extended family in the late 1800s. The Rader family made history in that state and left quite a legacy. One town bears the family's name to this day. 

My Norwegian side held firm to the faith, even those who boldly tried less traditional worship in other churches, like Baptist and Pentecostal types. My grandfather was a diehard Lutheran though, having been the only Lutheran Gravseth to travel to America. Religion divided my grandmother and him quite a bit over the years, as she did leave the Lutheran church. From the old country (i.e. Norway) their families sent religious postcards during the holidays, like the one below, and I have to think it may have been the one time their faiths were united.

 

Sharon M. Himsl

Published: Evernight Teen 

The Shells of Mersing

Easter Blessings: When Light Shines in the Darkness

Happy Easter 

Colored eggs sitting pretty in a basket. Chocolate goodies hiding in the grass. Maybe an Easter egg hunt for the kids. Church on Sunday. A special meal with family. The scent of Easter lilies. These are the things I think of this time of year.

Our new community holds an Easter sunrise service down by the river and a breakfast afterwards, I'm told. Doesn't that sound nice? I'm not a morning person, but I hope Vince and I can make it. (He's trying not to laugh....I'm really not a morning person lately, but we'll see how it goes). 

Sunrise in East Malaysia - 1996

Still, there is something holy about a sunrise service in the spring, when the air is crisp, and the birds are just waking up. Light touches the horizon and suddenly there is a horizontal orange glow that begins to spread. It dazzles the eye and you can't help but appreciate the beauty of the earth and our creator. It's such a lovely metaphor for the message of Christ's death on the cross and resurrection.....all for us.  

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." (John 12:46)

Sunrise on the Palouse (Eastern Washington)

Below is a song from my son's debut piano solo album this month. I'd love to share it. The song is perfect for Easter. You can hear the transition from darkness into light and the message of hope at the end. Click on title to listen. I hope you enjoy!  

"The Light Shines in the Darkness" by Chadwick Himsl 

You can see Chad's album and bio at his new website: 

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Blessed Easter

Vintage postcards from the family's archive . . .  I do miss the Easter egg hunts, dyeing all those eggs, and filling the children's baskets with candy (no grandchildren here unfortunately), but it is always good to reflect on the real meaning of Easter.

"Easter Blessings Crown Thee"

(Postcard addressed to my grandfather Carl in Bisbee, ND from ?? in Norway)

Postcard is addressed to my great-great grandmother Beret from a sister in Norway.

(Baret Marie Carlsen was born in Sylten, Norway in 1842)

A Joyful Easter to all of you!!

(A re-post from April 2013)
(postcards from Gravseth family archive) 

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing