This pass Easter was the first in a long time that i missed our celebration at my church. I started thinking how my Mom would have reacted to me missing service, Easter was a big thing in our house. This was the time we all had something new to wear, most times we only got one new outfit a year and believe me, we appreciated our outfits. Almost everyone in our community walked to church, so on Easter Sunday, around 9am, if you was in my part of town, you would have seen a true Easter Fashion Parade. We all thought we looked so good. There was no teasing about who was fat, skinny, greasy or grimy, we all thought each other looked good. In my part of the world, the weather was pretty mild in all seasons, so Easter usually was pretty warm so we did not have to wear jackets, which would have taken away from our parade from our homes to the church. I remember stopping ever so often to dust off my new patient leather shoes. My Daddy, who was a big man, led the Parade, in his not so new suit, he lead proudly, with his seven children walking behind him, knowing his children following him looked all fresh and pretty because he had been able to purchase new clothes for them. I like to reflect back on my growing up days because it makes me appreciate so many of the things I have now. Growing up, I could not imagine having a closet full of beautiful clothes at my disposal or many of the other things I now have. Easter was a big time for us, I suppose because of where we lived, a farming community, people had very strong spiritual beliefs. Easter was a time for renewal A time for preparing and clearing new fields for planting crops and gardening. A time for clearing out closets, spring cleaning and clearing your mind of pass failures and planning for a better season. Seems as if Easter gave you a new start, The Easter Fashion Parade seemed to kick it off. I love seeing the children all dressed up and filled with pride, I know they take it for granted because most have always had plenty but looking good, feeling good, and having a high self esteem in todays world is one of the keys to success. Don’t put a lot into whether you’re a big, small, short person, just try to improve yourself daily and Parade on.