For several weeks, I've been looking for a cross to display, but hadn't seen one that was just the right size and style.
Then, I saw this one. It was perfect, just what I'd been looking for; so I picked it up and went to check out with the sales associate.
We chatted for a couple of minutes, and I told her I was so happy to find the cross because, I wanted to display it for Easter.
She smiled and said that she really liked the significance of the cross, because, "Without the cross, there'd be no Easter."
Her words rang so true and put things back into perspective for me. Yes, it's fun decorating with bunnies and baskets for Easter, but...if Christ hadn't died on the cross, we'd have no Easter to celebrate.
Wishing you all a joyous Easter.
Hugs,
Babs
Babs
I'll be visiting with The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sundays.
Praise be to God!
ReplyDeleteHave a beautiful Easter weekend.
Yes you are right my friend..."without a cross they'd be no Easter"! I love your white cross, it's perfect, I would've taken it home too! Wishing you lovely lady a wonderful and blessed EASTER SUNDAY.
ReplyDeleteFABBY
The vignette with the cross and lilacs is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHave a Blessed Easter.
He is risen indeed.
ReplyDeleteThe symbol of the cross is universal and means life to us all. I am glad you found one and such a nice one. Richard from My Old Historic House.
ReplyDeleteSuch a lovely cross, too! Happy Easter to you and your family, Babs!...hugs...Debbie
ReplyDeleteHallelujah, He is Risen!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful and how wonderful that she felt she could speak freely!
You are so right Babs! Beautiful cross and beautiful vignette!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cross...the true reason for the season. Blessed Easter wishes to you!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sister! Happy Easter to you and your family. Linda
ReplyDeleteThat is a beautiful cross, and I love the sentiment of this post. Beautiful vignette. Happy and blessed Easter to you xo
ReplyDeleteHi Babs,
ReplyDeleteYour cross is beautiful and so is being a Christian.
Happy Easter!
xo,
Dee
Babs, your post is so appropriate. Thanks for sharing the message! I tend to get caught up in the bunnies and whimsy of the holiday. Reflection is important!
ReplyDelete~ sarah
Babs, Beautiful! I hope you have a joyful and blessed Easter.
ReplyDeletexo, Sherry
So beautiful and so true. We are so blessed. Happy Easter.
ReplyDelete- The Tablescaper
He is risen, indeed! Thanks for stopping by. Happy Easter!
ReplyDeleteSo true! :) And what a beautiful cross this is! :) Happy Easter dear!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
"I Know That My Redeemer Lives, What Comfort This Sweet Sentence Gives"!
ReplyDeleteHallelujah for the cross!!! Easter blessings to you Babs.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me those lilacs aren't real- they are so pretty! I have not had luck making mine bloom. Happy Easter! Your cross is beautiful and humbling on this day. Angela
ReplyDeleteLove your new cross beside the basket of lilacs. Gorgeous! Hope you have a great Easter today.
ReplyDeleteWell...for accuracy sake;
ReplyDeleteThough it is one of the most sacred days on the Christian calendar, the trappings of Easter are derived from pagan practices.
To the casual observer, the two aspects of Easter seem somewhat incongruous. On the one hand is the secular holiday, where children hunt for brightly colored eggs in the grass and receive candy and toys in baskets brought by an anthropomorphic rabbit. On the other hand is the religious observance, where the Christian faithful mark the miraculous resurrection of their savior. While the two sides seem to have nothing at all in common, they begin to make greater sense when one considers the pagan roots of the holiday.
The word Easter itself is likely derived from Eostre, the Saxon mother goddess, whose name in turn was adapted from Eastre, an ancient word for spring. The Norse equivalent of Eostre was the goddess Ostara, whose symbols were an egg and a hare, both denoting fertility. Festivals honoring these goddesses were celebrated on or around the vernal equinox, and even today, when Easter has supposedly been Christianized, the date of the holiday falls according to rather pagan reckonings, i.e. on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.
Rabbits, of course, are a potent symbol of fertility due to their prodigious output of young. Eggs, likewise, have always been considered representative of new life, fertility, and reincarnation. Painted eggs, thought to imitate the bright sunlight and gaily colored flowers of spring, have been used in rituals since the days of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians. Lilies were also seen as fertility symbols because of their perceived resemblance to male genitalia. Even hot cross buns, associated with Lent, derive from the ancient Greeks and Romans, who baked “magic” wheat cakes with crosses scored in the top; two of these cakes were discovered in the ruins of Herculaneum, which was destroyed by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 CE.
The pagan celebrations most associated with modern Christian practices derive from Mediterranean cultures. The Phrygians celebrated a spring festival honoring Cybele, a fertility goddess. Cybele had a consort god named Attis, who was born of a virgin, and who died and was resurrected after three days, an occurrence commemorated sometime around the vernal equinox. Worshippers of Attis mourned the god’s death on Black Friday, then celebrated his rebirth on the following Sunday.
Attis was simply the latest manifestation of earlier resurrection myths, like those of Osiris, Orpheus, Tammuz and Dionysus, who were likewise said to have been born of virgins and resurrected three days after their deaths. In areas where Christian beliefs later took hold, these already existing tales were grafted onto the story of Jesus Christ, and continue to be retold to this day. It seems that ever since the dawn of civilization, ancient peoples have always associated spring with rebirth and resurrection, with nature’s reawakening after the “death” of barren winter, and have further embodied the concept in the person of a god or goddess.
So true Babs. Happy Easter to you and your family! ~Delores
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said my friend. Blessings, Ginger
ReplyDeleteBabs,
ReplyDeleteI agree...Embrace The Cross!
Fondly,
Pat
A beautiful post. Hope you had a wonderful Easter.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Donna
Thanks for being a part of Seasonal Sundays this Easter.
ReplyDelete- The Tablescaper