As I sit and ponder what to write about it’s a beautiful sun-drenched spring morning. Although the temperature might be a little on the chilly side, the smell of spring is in the air. You can feel the warmth of the sun and just know warmer days are right around the corner. It’s such a special time of year when God’s green earth comes back to life.

Holy Week is upon us beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with Easter. To detail the week is much better left up to Pastor Tim or the leader of your congregation. It is truly a remarkable story of how God gave his only son Jesus so mortal man could be forgiven of sin and have eternal life. The week prior to Jesus’ resurrection had to be difficult for God and his son. God looking down knowing what was about to happen and watching Jesus endure the brutality that would end with his ascension into Heaven. Although he knew all would be well I can only imagine the pain of watching the events unfold. As for Jesus Christ, his son, talking about having one hundred percent faith in your Father. The pain, suffering, and betrayal could not have been easy. Even knowing the outcome of being seated at the right hand of his Father, it had to be excruciating to go through.

The love and grace our God and Jesus have for us should never be doubted. If doubt enters your mind just reflect back to the events of Holy Week and the resurrection and Jesus’ ascension into Heaven. As Mother Earth comes back to life, it is also a great time for us to be reborn in Jesus’ name.

Please enjoy all the Easter traditions of your family. Most importantly make sure your children understand God’s plan. The Easter egg hunts and Easter Bunny should be enjoyed and are special times in a child’s life but really have nothing to do with our Savior and salvation. Often in today’s world, they become blurred together when in truth they couldn’t be further apart.

Make sure you enjoy getting the family together for that special Easter dinner. As I have learned over the years, there will come a day when many of the seats become empty. You will hopefully have wonderful memories of those who came before you. You really never give much thought to these things when you’re young. But the day does come. What a testimonial for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Now back to what to write about. Usually you know I love to have a great April Fool. You’re probably thinking about that shark in the Susquehanna or the drilling for natural gas at White Deer Golf Course. Maybe the elephants and Clyde Peeling come to mind. I will have these past April Follies available on our website for those wanting a good laugh. However, with everything going on in today’s world and Easter falling on April 1st I just didn’t feel right coming up with a story about a Sasquatch being seen atop Bald Eagle Mountain or pirate gold being found in the Susquehanna River. An even better one might be the old Antlers Club being turned into a riverside casino. You get my drift.

As I look around the wonderful world we’re blessed with, I don’t think I remember a more unstable time during my life. My heart and prayers go out to those in Florida and across our Country that lost a loved one as a result of the school shootings. It will be very difficult Easter Sunday for many.

I look across the Country at a Nation divided in so many ways. I pray for peace, common sense and the future of our great Nation. We need to solve our problems here at home together, because all you need to do is listen or watch the daily news to realize the world is coming apart at the seams. At some point we are going to have to deal with Russia, North Korea, ISIS — the list has become so long. That is why we can’t be a Nation divided.

As I look up and down our West Branch Valley, it is easy to identify the problems facing our area. I’m sure you could list the same obstacles. That being said, we should take pride in how we work together. Our locally elected officials do a great job of hearing “We the People.” There are so many of you out there that give your time to a cause or addressing an issue. Although there may be a difference in political beliefs, we do not allow it to prevent compromise and problem-solving. I’m not saying everybody’s happy all the time. We should be proud of how things get done here at home, and not allow outside influences to divide.

As I’ve traveled our great land, there’s no other place I would want to call home. The next time you’re upset about an issue locally, no matter what it is, take the time to look at what goes on outside of our area, state and Country.

Happy Easter to you and your family and God bless America.