I Love Easter

I haven't had such a beautiful Easter in several years. It was a sunny but chill spring day here in Maastricht. I, of course, forgot my camera but hopefully I will be able to describe it for you.
I woke up this morning to go to church with our chef, Esri. She goes to a large Pentacostal church in Belgium, which is a five minute drive from where I live. The service was really sweet... wait maybe I should start with waking up to the sun streaming through the blinds for the first time in what feels like years. Seriously, you don't understand how much you love the sun until you are able to bask in it's glory after months, weeks rather, of being without it. So my first thoughts on rising... "This is exactly how an Easter Sunday is supposed to be." Maybe I should explain this thought to you... Jesus sacrificed His life for mine and yours 2000 years ago, this is the holiday that celebrates not only that He was willing to give His life for mine, save me from my sins, and give me a purpose but that He rose from the dead on the third day, forever conquering death. So in my mind the third day is the essence of victory and life. Actually, now that I'm writing about it, this was the perfect weekend as far as weather goes. I really like when the weather corresponds to my life. (swiss alps, black forest, this weekend, etc.) So this weekend, Friday and Saturday, were quite possibly the worst weather days I have experienced thus far, rain, sleet, snow, dark clouds, and high winds. Then Sunday dawned, beautiful blue skies, gentle breeze, flowers blooming, pretty much perfection, a wonderful picture of the victory of Christ.
Back to church. We sang so many songs, some I knew some I didn't but only two were in English. By the way, I think I have sung "My Redeemer Lives" in four different languages, 5 different countries, and two continents... popular song. I really love being with believers, worshipping all together. We had tea and pie with people afterwards and talked about everything from dancing to cowboys.
I came back and rested and then went to meet Panos (my Greek friend) for tea at 3. He is really funny and I enjoy hanging out with him. He loves to ask questions about religion like what makes you go to heaven or hell, sometimes it's really difficult explaining that it's not about religion or works. Sunday was different, I can't really explain it but it was a good different.
He had to go study so I decided to get lost on my way back home and enjoy the sunshine. I got lost in the direction of the zoo, or rather Maastricht's version of a zoo.
I ended up following one of the tributaries of the Maas river (the city's namesake). I love water, I don't know why but I do, lakes, oceans, rivers, streams, they make me really happy. Like on a given Sunday in Waco, if I have time, I'll take my journal and just go sit on the bank of the Brazos or on the dam. I love the way the sunlight hits the water, the ripples and waves take on a new magic when highlighted by a golden yellow or bright white. Especially when the banks are a full, new green with flowers beginning to bloom, ducks swimming around, and children feeding them and laughing. It is the kind of beauty that simply makes you love being alive at that moment, your heart is so full of the goodness of God and the joy of being on this wonderful adventure with Him. You simply want to breathe deeply and take it all in, the life, the peace, the joy, and the blessing.
That was how yesterday was, peaceful and beautiful. There were so many families in the park. Playing together and laughing and feeding the animals. :) There were geese, making an awful racket, ducks, billy goats, deer, peacocks, chickens, a buck, and several baby billy goats. One actually had the long beard, it was fun seeing them eat out of the kids hands and the little children finding the courage to get close enough to let the animals eat from their hands. I'm not a big fan of geese so I didn't get real close, in my defense they were really big and I don't think they would've liked the fact that I didn't have bread.
I kept walking and the tributary joined the old wall that used to surround the city. I really wish I could tell you how beautiful it was, the grey, blue of the old wall with splotches of dark green moss and hanging ivy, the blue, water flowing and sparkling over and around boulders, next to bright green new grass with blossoming yellow and pink trees and flowers all around. :D
It truly was a wonderful, God-given day, funny, peaceful, and beautiful.
That's it for now I'm way past due on hitting the books, finals are this week. I leave on Friday to travel for a month!!!