Virginia is putt-putting sluggishly to the finish line of her post-a-day Lent thru Easter gig. (The path to the finish line threw a few curves when today’s blog published itself last night as Virginia was working on it.)
Sometimes things don’t turn out how we expect them to. This Lent is a case in point. We started out here @ Roses in the Rubble with the expectation of giving up a few things (chocolate, wine, games on Virginia’s iPad…)
Not realizing we would have to give up GOING TO CHURCH.
Celebrating Easter by internet @ home is not what we expected when Lent started. The high death tolls around the world to a deadly virus have made this a heart-rending season.
But, no matter how much despair and disappointment seek to crush us, the joy of Jesus is with us even in the darkest places (as Virginia has written before.)
Alone in our homes tomorrow, we can celebrate Easter with the JOY OF JESUS.
“Without joy we Christians cannot become free, we become slaves to our sorrows. You cannot advance the Gospel with sad hopeless Christians. You cannot.” Pope Francis
grace, peace & JOY
Virginia : )
Roses in the Rubble 
Wishing you and yours a wonderfully joyous Easter weekend! 😀
You may have to relent from going to church, but sugar, cakes, treats and sweets are back on the menu.
Take good care,
Love, Peace, and Joy 🙏
DN
Thank you, Dewin. We may not have our usual big family gathering, but there will be sweets on the menu here for my brother and me. I have made a 4 layer Marmalade Cake in years past (that takes 1/2 a day to make!) but this year will bake a simple French apple cake that’s one layer of yummy goodness. (After the Chocolate Babka is tackled @ brunch!)
Streaming church is not the same as going, but it’s a blessing to at least worship and pray together in real-time. (Altho there’s lots of taped options, too!)
We are definitely excited about Andrea Bocelli’s concert! 🎶🤗🎶
May you and your family be blessed at this time – please stay safe!!!!
☀️🌸🙏🌸☀️
4-layers of marmalade cake goodness! Amazing! I imagine the slices would be thinner than if cutting a normal cake but the volume stay the same.
Brunch is a word I’ve not heard for many a long year Virginia, although I readily admit to preferring ‘brunch’ to either breakfast or lunch, followed, of course, by afternoon-tea at 4p.m
I’m quite certain Bocelli’s concert will please. Enjoy his chocolaty tones.
Thank you Virginia, we are all well and hope to stay that way as best we are able.
Keep smiling,
DN
Hope you continue to stay well, Dewin. Hope you caught Andrea Bocelli’s concert on Sunday – it was the highlight of my Easter. When he walked outside the cathedral to sing Amazing Grace, my heart turned to absolute mush. My four siblings and I were singing Amazing Grace gathered around our precious mama as she passed a few years ago. I also had several Andrea Bocelli playlists my Mama and I enjoyed together (along with Joshua Bell, we were big groupies of him, too!) Blessings, Dewin. 🙂
And you and yours stay safe and well also Virginia!
Amazing Grace is a beautiful hymn (penned by John Newton – English poet and Anglican clergyman – in 1772) and of immense comfort in sad times. Your beloved mum must have been so proud of you all.
We were decorating over the Easter weekend and had the electric switched off whilst putting in new power sockets, hence no Internet. I have subsequently watched highlights of Bocelli’s concert on You Tube and enjoyed the event enormously. A most remarkable performance – watched by 28 million world-wide – made more poignant by scenes of deserted city streets.
“It was an immeasurable honor and privilege to lend my voice to the prayers of millions of people, gathered in a single embrace — a small, great miracle of which the whole world was the protagonist and which confirms my optimism about the future of our planet.” ~ (Bocelli, quoted in Los Angeles Times)
Love, Peace, and beautiful songs,
Namaste 🙏
DN
Love, Peace and beautiful songs back to you. Thanks for sharing Andrea Bocelli’s quote — his Easter Sunday concert truly was the highlight of our celebration this year. What a gift!
Hope your power sockets are fully on these days (! – Life without internet tricky to manage?)
Blessings and AMAZING GRACE comfort! – Virginia 🙂
You’re welcome Virginia 😀
Yep, we’re all powered up and decorated to the nines! Once more back in contact with the world! 😀
Have a wonderful weekend. Take care of one and all 🙏
DN
💥🌍💥🤗💥🌍💥
Wishing you a very blessed Easter!!!
HaPpY EASTER MICHELLE!! 🌸☀️🌸🙏🌸🤗🌸
Happy Resurrection Sunday Virginia!
Easter & Resurrection Hope to you & your family, too!! May the peace of Jesus permeate our hearts & lives in deeper ways this Easter. ✨☀️🙏☀️✨
Yes this Easter was definitely different…Our homes were empty i.e. no family or friends, but let’s not forget that the tomb was also empty this Easter morning. We celebrate Jesus and our eternal life with Him. Who knew we all would be experiencing lent together. Maybe we’ll all get back to our faith, whatever it is. Blessings, Mz. Virginia ❤ .
Amen, Scarlett. You have a great point – the tomb was empty! Streaming Easter church wasn’t quite the same, but a highlight of the day was watching Andrea Bocelli’s live concert in the empty Milan Cathedral on YouTube. Extraordinarily AMAZING, especially when he walked outside singing Amazing Grace. Eastertide blessings to you! 🙂
I get chills listening to Andrea Bocelli’s when he sings anything 🌺🌺