Cristo esta resucitado! or Kristus er oppstanden!

It's good to have family in warm places this time of year. And I had plenty. So I joined them.

I spent Easter break on Captiva Island in Florida. Most of my school vacations this year have been opportunities to work a few more hours, concentrate on wedding planning or write papers I'd put off for weeks. This time, there was a true break.

I packed different clothes. I spent time with different people. I read different books. I slept different hours. And my to-do list consisted of bringing a chair with me to the beach or deciding between ice cream flavors at the general store. No cell phone service. No demands. Just sun, rain and the sounds of spring promised.

The bells tolled at noon on Good Friday. I was nearby but not properly clad and came barefoot from the sand. There was prayer and song. In this paradise and chapel of white washed grace, we recalled Jesus crucified. I wandered through the graveyard, a place I remembered from a few childhood visits here. It is strange to think of death and suffering in a place like this.

The cousins spoke in broken and goofy trilingual bliss, calling upon short phrases in Spanish and Norwegian that connect us and cause laughter. We are so different from each other, but curiosity for the other and familial bonds built sacred similarities.

Mason Jennings sings a song called California that conceeds, "And I miss the ocean when I go to sleep". These lyrics are true on the nights my brothers and I are reunited with waves crashing. Growing up in San Diego seems so long ago...until we hear their rhythm. And though we are all growing and following vocations that take us in each direction the wind blows, we gather together on Easter morning ready to sing the hymns of our heritage, the songs that give us strength.

This little chapel was filled like Swiss cheese on Friday, but on Sunday it was surrounded by the faithful in hundreds of folding chairs and hymnals filled with the tunes we all knew. People came from all over the country, Canada and across the pond. The tiny organ inside pumped out the truth and we sang believing. Christ the Lord is risen today - Alleluia!

The pastor preached an ecumenical message to those in front of her and then would turn to look out the window, feeding us with the miracle of new beginnings. There was abundance. And while we sang and heard the Word, the weekend clouds thinned in approval of her promise. By evening there was a sunset that regressed triumphantly with the fanfare of morning. It is good to be in the Body - hearing, singing and believing. And it is good to be with those who speak your language - the promises of past, present and future.