After 10 days of fighting pneumonia, I'm back in the land of the living. Thank you to those who offered prayers for me. It was brutal. LeRon reminded me that his mother often said that pneumonia is an old person's best friend (in that it helps them pass on when it's their time). Thanks LeRon! I don't think I'm that old, nor in need yet. Our daughter Heather said that if I would have been born in pioneer days, I would probably have died from pneumonia. So true! Thank you, God, for inspiring scientific research that produced life-saving antibiotics.
I recovered just in time to enjoy some Palm Sunday activities -- a 2 a.m. zoom into our Taber ward's special sacrament meeting in which our son Craig gave the address about the significance of Palm Sunday. Then a beautiful cantata that evening (our Monday morning) about the life of the Savior, composed by former Taberite, Jenny Francis and led by Barnweller (is that a thing?), Jane Porter.
The cantata can be viewed at <https://www.youtube.com/live/VPMERN1HOAs>. The actual program starts at 22 minutes but before that, our son Craig plays 20 minutes of beautiful prelude music on the organ. The cantata was well attended by members and community friends. What a nice way to start the Holy Week.
Now about Easter . . . Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday are most important days for all Christians. On Palm Sunday, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding a donkey, as kings often did, and was greeted by hundreds of people waving palm branches and dropping their garments on the ground to make a royal passage. By Friday, He would be crucified with the approval of many of those same people.
Good Friday -- the day Jesus was crucified -- is a somber day. We were in Salzburg, Austria, one year on Good Friday. It was a cold, cloudy, dreary day. Usually church bells ring out daily in Salzburg, echoing lovely chimes across the city, but today, Good Friday, the bells were silent. Silent too on Saturday.
Then on Easter Sunday morning, we were awakened to the sound of hundreds of church bells pealing throughout the valley, sounding on and on and on: He Is Risen!!! People greeted each other joyously, not with the usual "Guten Morgan" (Good morning), but with the words, "Er ist auferstanden!" (He has Risen!!)
We understand that Easter here in Cebu will be very quiet. Usually on the Easter weekend, people go home to their families, who are often on other islands. The streets, apparently, will be very quiet with almost no traffic. Hopefully many will attend church services, as will we.
We will be missing Easter traditions with the grandchildren who live near us, and not just Easter eggs and bunny rabbits and good food. . . .
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| We have had a tradition for several years of making palm branches by tracing the palms of our hands and attaching them to construction paper branches. Then we enact the Triumphal Entry as we shout, "Hosanna! Hosanna!" |
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| Our sons, Michael and Eric each spent a semester in Jerusalem (at the BYU Jerusalem Center) and both were able to participate in Easter celebrations, including the Palm Sunday procession, waving palm branches and singing with thousands of Christians as they entered Jerusalem and commemorated the beginning of Holy Week. This picture shows us in 2024 with our palm branches, with a picture on the TV of us in 2023 with our palm branches and the picture in the background is of Michael with his very tall palm branch as he joined the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem in 1996. A picture of a picture of a picture. Click to enlarge. |
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| And here is Eric and his family with Eric in the back picture having joined the throngs entering Jerusalem in about 2004. What an amazing opportunity to be in Jerusalem at Easter time. Walking where Jesus surely walked is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. |
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| The Jerusalem Palm Sunday Procession was cancelled in 2026 due to unrest and war, but this photo from the internet shows what it looked like in 2025. Such a joyous occasion. |
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