I never used to get Easter. I remember the year I decided to try to go out and buy a push mower for my lawn on Easter Sunday. Almost everyone who sold such things was closed. It made me grouchy. What's the big deal?

Times change, and seven years later, I finally get it. It's about joy and hope, despite the darkness of the world and local scenes.

Friends and family made this year's Easter as close to the ideal as I think I'll ever get. Although everyone else seemed to be taking the day in stride, I found the spirit of the day brighter than I can ever remember it.

The other thing I could never understand about Easter is how the church dragged it on for 40 days. But this year, I say, let's keep it going.