by Adele Woodyard
Chocolate bunnies, colored eggs, baskets with “green grass” waiting to be filled.
You live it again watching your kids from the time they dip the first hard boiled egg into a cup of dye, to their scramble for Easter goodies hidden in real grass nests around the yard.
(Will I ever forget the last time I actually did that? All dressed up in a brand new outfit, forced to “hunt” in my grandparents garden with my younger cousins, until my date drove up with another couple. I was a junior in high school, for crying out loud!)
Waking in darkness to attend a Sunrise Service on a hill above a sandy beach.
We watched the sun rise above the horizon and lay a golden blanket over gentle Atlantic Ocean waves. Around us the small crowd greeted the dawn with the graceful moves of tai chi.
(A lovely moment to always remember, for it was the only Sunrise Service I managed to get up early enough to attend.)
Those who do rise at daybreak in Central Florida can greet the dawn at the 84th Annual Easter Sunrise Service at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Newly green trees and plants in a burst of color will reach for the sun, to the music of the Lake Wales Chorale and the 60-bell carillon. 863-676-1408; http://www.boktowergardens.org
Sitting in a Lake Wales outdoor amphitheatre to watch a 3-hour Passion Play.
The almost 400 year old play depicts the last days of Jesus Christ from Palm Sunday to Easter. Massive in size, the sheer number of players and animals overwhelm me. The emotionally powerful drama originated in the Bavarian village of Oberammergau, Germany, and that cast no longer plays in the United States. However, it can be seen on European tours, and other actors have taken the stage in this country.
In Wauchula, Florida the Passion Play is currently being presented as The Story of Jesus in the vast Cattlemen’s Arena at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, from Good Friday, April 2, to April 24. 863-375-4031. http://www.storyofjesus.com
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