Easter falls in April this year. It does fall in April more often than March’ but of course it can be early or late in April. The date of Easter is decided by a process determined hundreds of years ago. In practice this means that Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon that falls on or after March 21. Easter can occur as early as March 22, and as late as April 25, depending on when the full moon occurs. But whenever it occurs it means we have a couple of bank holidays. This makes for a long weekend for all those not working in essential services. Extra days all tagged on to a weekend can give the chance for a few days away, particularly in April, as the days are getting longer and hopefully warmer. It can give us the opportunity for some resting and relaxation time, to recharge our batteries. For me the extra days are an occasion for more family time. If there are no rail strikes, there is time to travel from some miles away to be with loved ones, or even better for them to travel to you to spend some time together. Everyone these days seems to live life at a great pace and pack lots of activities into each day, leaving little time for family visiting, so those extra days are useful. Although Jesus obviously didn’t have the bank holidays that we have, he did recognise the need for days away with his friends. One of these times was after the feeding of the five thousand. He went off to the other side of the lake with his friends. He also knew that they needed to rest and not wear themselves out and sometimes said to them “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest for a while.” . Jesus also valued his family. When he was on the cross he entrusted his mother into John’s care. If these times were important to Jesus we should also incorporate them into our lives and these extra days of holiday give us a good opening to do so.
This months book is “Five People You Meet In Heaven”.by Mitch Albom
God Bless
Maureen Kendall