Easter: A Time To Remember

Easter in Texas

Here in Texas, by the end of March spring is well on its way, the bluebonnets have bloomed, and everyone is celebrating new life as Easter Sunday approaches. Easter is not only a time of new life as plants and animals renew for the season but a time to honor how death brings about that new life, as well.

Easter is a wonderful time to remember the dead. It has warmed my heart this week to see many of my friends taking the time to honor and keep in remembrance family members and friends who have passed as a way of celebrating the Easter holiday.

Traditions to Remember Those Passed

The world is full of meaningful traditions on remembering our dead. A few Easter-appropriate ways to honor those who have passed include:

• Lighting a candle. Whether you do this at home or in a religious setting, dedicating a moment of prayer, thoughts or words to your loved one is an excellent way to keep them with you.
• Engaging in your genealogy. Look at old photos and journals, and learn details about the time and place your loved one grew up in. You can even feel a connection this way with ancestors you have never met.
• Making a social media post about your loved one. You can share a memory or photo, talk to them or about them.
• Reading a book or listening to a song you know they loved. Even if its style is not usually to your taste, it’s an excellent way to connect with your loved one.
• Visiting their graveside, if they are buried locally. Bringing flowers and tending to the area are loving gestures as well, but remember too that even just your presence is a gift.

I love visiting cemeteries, even ones I have no personal or family history with. Although it’s a little unusual, I like to spread out a blanket and bring a small picnic lunch with me. The setting of a cemetery is almost always peaceful and steeped in history, and I like to think that spending the time there honors those who are no longer in living memory.

Martin Oaks Crematory and Cemetery, with historic graves dating back to 1899 and including a soldier from the Civil War, is located in a peaceful, mostly residential area of Lewisville, Texas, tucked between Denton, Texas and Flower Mound, Texas adjacent to both Richardson, Texas and Plano, Texas. Please contact us to make arrangements for your or a loved one’s final disposition.