It was a lovely Easter Sunday here – an abundance of food, the gathering of family and friends, a day of bright skies and spring flowers, laughter and fellowship.

Easter has long been my favorite holiday, even more so than Christmas. Of course, it helps that my birthday is at this time of year, and that it’s spring again, bringing color and flowers back to the world after a long, grey winter. When I was little, Easter meant chocolate bunnies and jelly beans and dressing up. These days I appreciate the message of renewal and the promise of a fresh start. And ok, yes, still the chocolate bunnies and jelly beans!

This year I felt my Mother’s presence very strongly. I used her lace tablecloth, her deviled egg dish, many of her Fostoria Candlewick serving dishes and served a very traditional Iowa Easter dinner (which included ham, potato salad, deviled eggs and asparagus) using her recipes. It was bittersweet – I probably missed her more on Sunday than ever and yet the day also felt right with many happy memories. It was a pleasure to continue some of our beloved traditions, honoring the past and looking forward to the future.

The weight of family follows us always – expectations, traditions, disappointments and celebrations, but most of all love. The love lasts long after the person is gone and they live on in us because of this. I am grateful that I have so many happy memories of this time of year, that I was able to share this season with friends and family and that together we could create new memories.

Here’s to the past, here’s to the future and here’s to the message of Easter.

Love lives on.