Hallelujah

I must admit that when the hectic schedule of Holy Week and Easter comes to an end I shout "Hallelujah!" Five services in eight days is a challenge and fortunately I can share responsibility with Cathy, the choir, and a great supporting staff and lay workers.

Whenever possible I take time on Easter afternoon to go for a walk and the sunny skies made that possible again yesterday. I have managed a walk on each of the past three days and have noticed changes each time out. I saw my first kingfisher on Friday, the first swallows Saturday, and my first blue heron of the season on Sunday. Each new day announces a different aspect of Spring.

The yellow flowers in the photo above (no, they're not dandelions) are in a sheltered spot within metres of Lake Ontario. The red-winged blackbird was telling me in no uncertain terms to "get lost!" The trumpeter swan joins the introduced mute swans, a sign of a restored population. Daughter Emily was experimenting with close encounters of the chickadee kind.

It was good to sing our hallelujahs to celebrate the resurrection and good to hear the hallelujahs of the rebirth of the natural world.