I love my church.
Sincerely. I personally
chose to join this church and denomination when I was a senior in high school,
and have enjoyed every small group, Sunday School, committee, youth event,
etc. You name it, I’ve tried
it. The friends I have made at
church have been a much-needed support throughout my adult years. My hope is to grow old at this church.
However, our church is pretty large. Translation – holidays like Easter and
Christmas leave the church packed to the gills with its parishioners. As much as I love Easter sermons
and Easter dresses, the claustrophobia kicks in on high gear during the holy
holidays. The cure? Going to the lake for Easter.
A few summers ago, JD and I bought a pontoon boat to keep at
the lake. Here is a picture of our boat I found on the internet, but in a different color. Our boat is burgundy and white:
Our perfect summer day
involves taking the boat out with friends, dropping anchor, and floating for
hours. Nothing is more relaxing
after making the 1.5 hour drive to Pickwick. His parents gave us a nice grill for the boat, so now we
don’t even need to come in from the lake to eat. Once we started contemplating Easter weekend at the lake, a
new tradition was born.
This year, JD and I have several big events coming up as the
semester comes to an end. Looking
ahead on the calendar, my anxiety mounts knowing what all I have to prepare
for. However, Easter weekend
represented a perfect opportunity to get away from it, the perfect calm before
the impending storm.
Friday night started off as it always does when the Graffams
are involved – dinner at Pickwick Pizza.
We’ve started eating there often enough that we usually run into a few
folks from Memphis. Saturday, we
hit the water early with our friends.
I made the fatal mistake of using a low SPF to get a “little color” on
my skin. By that afternoon, I
looked like a lobster with an outline from my sunglasses. I blame it on the beverages for no one
noticing sooner! Saturday night,
we tried a restaurant that JD recommended, Jon’s Pier. It was a hit. The chicken was juicy and the seafood smelled great (I
didn’t try it). The group was
having such a good time that we decided to take the boat out again Sunday
afternoon.
By Sunday, I was more prepared for the sun and kept
reapplying sunscreen to avoid any more burn. After a few humorous adventures (me failing to start up the
boat and almost crashing into the rocks, birds dive-bombing us as we floated
under a bridge), we packed it up and headed back home. Despite not being in Easter services, I
feel closer to God in nature. To
me, Easter signifies the rebirth of hope through the resurrection of
Christ. Lake weekends often
recharge my batteries and allow me to focus on being a better Christian, wife,
family member and friend. It may
not be a traditional way to celebrate Easter, but I hope it is a family
tradition for many years to come!
