Easter in Pittsburgh

I was convinced this Easter would feel lonely.  I made the decision to stay in Pittsburgh because my two biggest essays are due after Easter break.  That makes this the first Easter I’m spending away from my family.  I haven’t been home to hug Mom in over two months.  That’s probably the longest I’ve been in Pittsburgh without a trip home. 

It’s Good Friday night.  We’re halfway through the Easter holiday, that much closer to Resurrection.  I couldn’t have been more wrong about this week.  Instead of feeling lonely and homesick, I’m feeling more at home and content than I have in a long time.  Why? 

I’m not sure how to explain it.  I’m the only one at the house.  Kathy is visiting her family in Maryland.  It rained all day today; the house is a little chilly; I spent a good part of the day agonizing over a 25 page paper.  That’s a perfect recipe for loneliness.  Instead I feel comfortable, warm, loved.

I remember nearly two years ago just before I moved to Pittsburgh, telling my spiritual parents, Barry & Olivia, that I was afraid I wouldn’t find community in my new location.  I love Cornerstone and all the people in it. They loved me in the midst of some of the most intense pain and emotional weakness I’ve experienced.  That’s irreplaceable.  

I think that perhaps more than anything, the experiences of this Easter are affirming yet again that God provides.  I have a family here, one more abundant and loving than I could have created on my own.  And this week I’m seeing the love of Jesus expressed through the members of that family in quiet poignant moments.  I saw it when I happened upon Lance in Squirrel Hill and we ended up going to the grocery store together.  I saw when Eileen invited me to visit her at the 61C café.  I saw it as I studied with Jade and Madhu, their company making the homework seem like less of a drag.  I saw it as I ate and laughed with Aida, Mirlan, and Madhu.  I saw it when Mike sat with me for the Maundy Thursday service and helped me corral Upper Room’s always-energetic two year old, Jeremiah.   And I saw it tonight as a room full of friends sat together in near-darkness to remember the death of our Jesus.  This Easter has become a reminder of the blessing of community that exists in the family of Christ everywhere I go. 

There’s a sweetness to this week, a simplicity and sincerity in the way Jesus is speaking.  He is provider. 

I can’t wait for Sunday.  I’m in the mood to celebrate!