VICTORY OVER DEATH

On Friday, we observed the day of death. Today, we are rejoicing in the opposite, in the victory of life over death. He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! It is Easter Sunday, the day of resurrection, the day marking the victory of goodness over evil. The darkness of death is vanquished by the light of life. Nearly two millennia ago, an event occurred to a poor, young itinerant preacher in a minor fringe province of a great empire that profoundly changed human existence forever. Today we celebrate that monumental, world-altering event. It was God's own sacrifice for the redemption of humankind, the greatest act of love ever.

Today we are faced with a new plague of death. Our fellow human beings are dying all around us by the thousands, felled by a nearly invisible organism without a conscience. No one knows how bad this plague is going to get nor how long it is going to last. We feel helpless, frightened, disoriented. Yet, there are many, many good people working hard to get this deadly pandemic under control and to minimize, if not eliminate it. Through the grace of God working through these heroic people, life will win out over death. This is what Easter tells us.

This is the first Easter Sunday in my seventy-six years that I will not be inside a church building. This makes me feel sad and hurt. Then, when I look around at the reason for my relatively minor loss, I realize what I am giving up is nothing compared to what so many grieving families and friends are giving up as their loved ones die. I have no right to complain. I am not complaining. My church building will reopen one day. There will be other Easters.  

Easter comes in spring fittingly when the earth is awakening to new life, its own victory over the death of winter. Nowhere is this more evident than in a garden. So, to celebrate this greatest day of the year and to anticipate life over the death of the present plague, let us take a moment to enjoy the beauty of the season as seen in my own modest garden. These photos were made in the past few days.

"Snowball" Viburum has passed its prime but remains spectacular. The smaller part of the garden is on right, the larger on left. A lawn separates the two.

The larger part of the garden. The boxwoods in the center mark the entrance of one walkpath. There are winding paths throughout this part.

My favorite place to sit on the larger side is a bench near the brow of a slight elevation. This is the view at mid-day. From here, I can see much of the garden. On left is camellia, on right hydrangea. The small tree on right is crabapple. The large trees on left are maple. The green shrubs in middle are yaupon holly.

Eve's Necklace Tree (Sophora affinis). In spring, it blooms in long flower strings, or "necklaces." This small deciduous tree, to about 12 feet, is an attractive but rarely seen garden specimen. This came as a seedling from Texas.

Much more common is Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius) aka English Dogwood. This is an old favorite shrub prized for its small, aromatic white flowers that smell of orange blossoms.

Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata 'atrosanguinea'). This vine is on a trellis but I let it grow at will onto neighboring shrubs as it searches for the sun. This uncommon form of Crossvine came from Woodlanders nursery in Aiken SC (good source for unusual plants).

Moving to the smaller part of the garden, here is Grancy Graybeard (Chionanthus virginicus) in full bloom behind Lady Banks Rose.

A larger and showier cousin of Grancy Greybeard is Chinese Fringe Tree ( Chinonthus retusus). This one is about 20 feet tall. In spring it is covered in white "fringe." This one came from my favorite nursery, Nurseries Caroliniana, in North Augusta.

Climbing rose "Don Juan" has deep red flowers. This one is sharing a trellis with a Carolina Jasmine that is trying to take over.


My warmest wish is that you have a refreshing Easter, dear blog reader. The vicious coronavirus has forced us to confront death and destruction whether we wanted to or not. However, not even this time of darkness, unparalleled in our lifetimes, can dim the light of the greatest day of the year. We need this Easter more than we have ever needed one. We need the victory of life over death, of light over the darkness, of love over hate. We need reminding that God's love surrounds us now as much as ever.

Queen Elizabeth has given us another talk of encouragement, showing us, once again, true qualities of leadership. In her Easter (11 Apr.) message she assures us the coronavirus will not overcome us. Find her remarks by audio here .

Throughout it all, bear in mind we are here for the living of this hour. Peace.