a different kind of Easter

wow, Easter with no sunrise service :-( damn u katrina! i'm way beyond those material losses she brought with her; i'm more on those traditions…the ones you’ve been doing all ur life, you don’t know when they actually started, because they’ve just always been there. Many of these traditions have seemed to, well become non-existent since August 2005

Easter. Every year since I can remember, starts on Friday with the 7 last sayings on the cross, followed by a sleepover Saturday night at my house which is transformed into a beauty salon. No one wants to sleep on the floor so somehow we crowd into one bed...no gay ish...its all fam. We never get more than 3-4 hours of sleep that night because we had to wake up at 5 in da morning to get ready for sunrise service. We arrive for service, but somehow spend the whole service in the choir room...separating someone's staw set...lol. Remember breakfast after the service...grits (da ones where u don't need to add butter or salt), eggs, your choice of sausage, ham or bacon, fruit mix, croissant, toast...the whole nine...and it was good, cause somebody's grandma was back there cooking it! As you're eating breakfast, the first group of members trickle in, you get ready for sunday school and well...our class was different, so we always had a good time...in the Lord, of course ::wink:: so 10 o'clock service rolls around before you know it, you start to see people come in that you hadn't seen since...well, last Easter. Everybody with their sunday best. Then as the service begins that evil combination sets in: no sleep & a big breakfast = da itis. You are trying your hardest to stay up, but that damn devil is always present. I gave in to him for a good 15 minutes last year. sorry. lo siento por mi huh?

After chuch we fellowship and the conversations usually start with "where u been, i ain't seen u since..." or “ what time u goin on da lake” or most importantly "who's cooking"...cause somebody always is.

This year as we all know is just different. It's 7:50 on Easter morning and I am in my pajamas with my hair rolled up. I didn't stay up late, didn't have to wake up early, i think ima walk to starbucks for breakfast, church service doesn't start until 1:00 and it' not going to be at "2505 Marengo Street, in New Orleans" u know by the cornerstone on Ferango lol. As much as i am saddened by these things, it only a testimony...God is in control. The church is just a building, it is the people that make up the church. Even though all of these circumstances are foreign to me, this one isn't...He is Risen...how many times will we see this today? probably too many to count. But do you really know what that means? Well for me, He rose so I can be able to go through all that is against me, He rose so that my church will be rebuilt, He rose so that New Orleans will be rebuilt, He rose so that Louisiana will be rebuilt. He rose so that I don't have to walk through any of this alone. I'm not going to lie, I get weak, frustrated, and annoyed with all the situations I'm up against Everyday...but my blessing is on the Other side of through, which means I too have to suffer, but all suffering has a time limitation.