Easter On the Porch
By
Gerry Niskern
Front porches are wonderful. You can gather there and stay far apart. Of course, when I say porch I mean patio, deck, balconey, or any outdoor space at your house set aside for enjoying the outdoors.
My early memories of sitting on a porch was when I was a kid and our family gathered there in the evening. The swing and chairs were wicker. My sister and I sold raspberries and black berries at our little road side stand. We had worked hard picking berries and if you have ever picked a raspberry you know what I mean. We were allowed to walk down the highway, RR Route # 1, and spend our hard earned pennies at the gas station. We bought Baby Ruth candy bars that we shared with our mom and dad while they enjoyed the quiet evening on the porch.
The sanctuary of the front porch was always where everyone gathered on summer evenings. If you sat on my Aunt Sarah’s porch down in town you could get the daily gossip bulletin narrated by her as people walked by. She commented on each couples marital status, who was expecting, and who was cheating on who.
Front porches were great for playing on a rainy day. They were also the place where the first kiss was stolen on the swing in the evening when the rest of the family had turned in.
My front porch now consists of a little brick area about 8 feet out behind a low stone wall. (mine is topped with Geraniums) In the evening I look north to the close by North Phoenix Mountains. I see tiny hikers up on top cavorting around. And below I see hawks circling with their eye on the bunnies that are everywhere! Sometimes a family of Quail stroll by or even a coyote will slink down the street.
We’ve all been isolated lately, so get out on those porches, patios, decks, whatever, and stay six feet apart and enjoy a “socially Distant”, but Happy Easter!
That’s what I’ll be doing too , Happy Easter !!
Good memories of my grandchildren coming over and we would go in the backyard ians dye Easter eggs. Then I would hide the eggs and they would go hunt for them. Then they like to hide eggs and have me in the other adults hunt for them. It was great fun. But I also wanted them to remember what Easter was really all about. I had some plastic eggs in in them were different items that I would tell them the story of Jesus dying on the cross and rising again. That he did this because he loved us and was willing to die for us so that we would have forgiveness of sin. This Easter will be different as the grandchildren are grown up and we are all homebound but I am next-door to my son and his wife, my granddaughter and her three children so we can celebrate Together and remember he is risen.
Wonderful. Hope you had a very nice Easter!!