Blue Umbrella Official March issue 2018 | Page 8

Cherish each moment By: Meghan J. E aster is coming and you know what that means: cream-filled chocolate eggs, marshmallow chicks, baskets, and of course, remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know what you?re thinking but, no, this isn?t another piece going over the true meaning of Easter and reminding you not to get all caught up in the festivities and thus, forget the true meaning of Easter. That is important, and I do want to encourage you in that but, you?ve heard it all before. Instead, I want to talk to you about Holy Week. At this point, I?m hoping that you?re asking yourself, ?What exactly is Holy Week?? because before this, I had no idea and I?m hoping I?m not alone in that. So, in answer to your question, according to beliefnet.com, Holy Week is the week before Easter where we remember what happened to Jesus in the week before His crucifixion. In my experience, most churches only celebrate resurrection Sunday and a few will observe Good Friday but, that?s about it. However, there was a lot that happened in the week leading up to Jesus? crucifixion and Holy Week is all about observing those events. One of these events is Passover. It is generally seen as a Jewish holiday but, some Gentiles celebrate it too. Passover, in relation to Jesus, was the last meal Jesus had with his 8 disciples and was also the meal they ate the night Jesus was arrested. Today, this is known as Holy Thursday. This is just one of many days that are observed in Holy Week. In America, we have many national holidays that we observe, as well as national days of remembrance. Most people also have personal days of remembrance for big events such as birthdays and anniversaries. It seems that we put a lot of time and effort into remembering the big events in our lives but we tend to let the smaller ones pass by. What if we put the same time and effort into remembering the little things as we do the big things? What if we put more effort into remembering things like a fun day with friends, a special moment shared with a loved one, or a time spent in God?s presence? Things that may seem small in the moment, tend to be the things we remember and treasure most down the road. This Easter, I would like to encourage you to remember the days that lead up to Resurrection Sunday; days like Holy Thursday and Passover. I would also like to encourage you to put stock into the seemingly insignificant days in your own life. Like I said, they may seem insignificant now but, someday they may just prove to be the most significant.