The Moral of the Story

Cindy Trane Christeson

“The reason Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross was so he could

reach them around people like you and me.”

-- Kevin A. Miller

Memories are great things. I love recalling times with special people and

places and how memories allow me to relive something I enjoyed again and

again in my mind.

If I close my eyes, I can still see the dress I wore when my entire

second-grade class went to our teacher’s wedding.

Miss Philpot was a teacher who reached out to each of us, made us feel

special and excited about learning, and even invited us to join her on

the day she became Mrs. Everheart. What a brave woman she was.

Memories are great things. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to

phone numbers, so I’m often saved the time of running to the Rolodex when

I need to call someone. There seems to be a limit to the number of phone

numbers my brain can store, however, and I’m having trouble deleting the

old ones to make room for the new.

For instance, I can still remember my grandmother’s five-digit phone

number from 35 years ago, but that number has since been lengthened and

an area code added, and my grandmother has been living in her heavenly

home for more than 20 years.

It was helpful knowing the phone number of my daughters’ elementary

school when they were there, but our youngest daughter is already in

college, so I could use that space for some new people or places I call

more frequently.

Memories are great. I remember those things and those people because they

were a part of my life. They were important to me. They were real to me.

The same is true of Easter. I can vividly remember so many of the Easters

I have celebrated throughout my life. Even memories of whom I was with

and what I wore stand out in my mind.

The reason I remember those external things so much is because the

internal impact of the message of Easter has so profoundly touched every

area of my life. It is real to me. It is important to me.

Just as dye spreads and colors Easter eggs and changes them into

something bright and new, so too has Christ’s dying on the cross made it

possible for me to live life in a new way.

The same is true for you. Christ’s arms bravely stretched out on the

cross that first Good Friday, and his resurrection on that first Easter

allowed God to reach out to each of us.

Many people give little gifts on Easter morning. But the greatest gift

each of us can choose to enjoy Easter morning, or any other morning for

that matter, is the gift that the original Easter made possible.

We can reach the one who has been lovingly reaching out to us, and we can

hold onto him forever.

And you can quote me on that.

CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks frequently

to parenting groups. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected]

or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140 No. 505, Newport Beach 92658.