West: Easter important holiday for grandparents

By MIKE WEST

Yes, Easter is an important event for most folks.

Putting the religious aspects aside, it is quite a day for youngsters and (yes) their grandparents. Don't get me wrong. I'm not belittling the "contributions" of parents to this important day, but it is an event for us older folks to rule. I never got "that" until I got older and had grandchildren to spoil.

Perhaps this is a bit misleading. Actually, Easter is a day for grandmothers to rule the roost. Personally, I'm just there to do the grunt work like yard improvement which began weeks before the actual event.

Dig, scrub, plant and move it all time after time. After all the "Boss" demands absolute perfection. She can visualize exactly how everything should look. As for myself, I'm clueless ... totally and completely.

Fortunately, I did learn a thing or three about planting flowers, shrubs and the like from excellent teachers in the form of parents and grandparents. Trouble is, my teachers were much more energetic than I am and were capable of doing all the bending and squatting associated with gardening.

I'm more prone to sit down on the job which is not appropriate at all. My late father had a little saying about sitting down on the job, but here's not the place to repeat it. As for me bending, I'm not sure if it's my belly or my back or my dadgum knees that cause all the trouble.

Now my mother was a pro when it came to Easter. She would decorate inside and out and would even have an Easter egg tree that the grandkids would decorate a week or two before that special Sunday.

Easter day began with church (sometimes a sunrise service) followed by a special lunch always featuring deviled eggs and potato salad. An Easter egg hunt would follow. Pa would prepare the eggs for hiding. There was tons of candy, but the special eggs were filled with nickles, dimes and quarters.

We would laugh watching the older kids shake the eggs looking for that cash.

Now my missus is no slouch when it comes to Easter or any other holiday. Like I said, preparations were underway for weeks. She is so clever!

Her Easter lunch was a marvel. Big, egg-styled containers were turned into serving dishes and the menu was out of this world and included ham she baked and even a platter of deviled eggs. (Yes, I ate more than my share.)

It was as special as the "good ol' days." The only thing that was missing was the fist fight during the egg hunt. (Maybe next year?)

When it comes to special days, Easter is among the best. Oh yes, it is commercialized but not as much as other holidays. It is a day for grandparents, especially grandmothers and their grandchildren. That's lesson that comes with age.