How good was the Easter weather a couple of weeks ago?
Classic crisp mornings and evenings and sunny days – it reminded me of when I was growing up.
Westerly winds, a glassy ocean and basically perfect April/May weather with not a climate change soul in sight.
It did remind me of something else, questioning whether there really was an Easter Bunny?
My memories went back to about 1966, on the veranda at Eudlo School, where one of the older kids told me the Easter Bunny wasn’t real, which I pushed back on until a chorus of others backed him up.
I then went home and had a man-to-man talk with Dad, asking him if the rabbit wasn’t real, what about Santa and more importantly the tooth fairy. What was going on?
I think at the time my main concern was the tooth fairy and how much cash I would be missing out on.
So, I will keep the results of that hard conversation to myself but it does raise the question of belief.
You have to believe in something, as reality at the moment is far too real.
Take the spirit world. For me, it is something I believe.
The night before I wrote this column I dreamt about Mum and Dad.
It was a moving type of dream and, in it, I was surprised they were still alive, happy that I was with them and we were back on the farm in Eudlo.
When I woke up it was like they had actually been in the room with me and it left me a very warm comfortable state and reinforced my belief.
Like stories that inform, connect and celebrate the Sunshine Coast? So do we. Join an independent local news revolution by subscribing to our free daily news feed: go to the bottom of this article to register.
It doesn’t happen very often, maybe once a year.
My Dad died in 1984 so in my mind our paths have crossed plenty of times in those years.
Mum died in 2012 and the dreams changed a bit then, and probably just had a woman’s touch to them as only Edna and a Mummy’s boy could do.
It’s kind of funny that the latest dream was at Easter because it was Edna’s favourite time of year, she was very spiritual.
Belief is a wonderful thing and I look forward to the Easter Bunny and hopefully a visit from Mum and Dad next year.
As Saint Augustine said, “Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”
Amen to that.
Ashley Robinson is a columnist with Sunshine Coast News and My Weekly Preview. His views are his own.
