Returning to Eastertide

I'm one of the people who, over the past month or so, has succumbed to a virus which has been dubbed the Hundred Day Cough - though I'm really hoping that's an exaggeration! In my case, I noticed my throat was sore on Easter Tuesday. For a few days, all I had was a mild cold, barely more than 'symptoms'... But then, very suddenly, the virus struck, in all its ferocity, leaving me wheezing, and almost unable to speak without intense coughing, with severe headaches, broken sleep and overall tiredness to compound my misery. 

Meanwhile, the weather returned us to February. Instead of spring's mildness and sunshine we had unrelenting grey skies, heavy rain and chilling winds - though remarkably, nature continued, unperturbed, to behave as it should. Cherry blossom, bluebells, wisteria... the laburnum opposite... all have done their colourful, lovely best to compensate for the prevailing greyness, which is - oh joy! -gradually, slowly, beginning to dissipate (although bursts of rain are, of course, still forecast!)

And I, too, am emerging from the virus: my cough is now only occasional, and I've definitely stopped feeling rough. And some days ago, it dawned on me that in the midst of all this, more than half of Eastertide had more or less passed me by. Yes, I'd been to Mass, and followed the Gospels full of new life and hope and encounter, but somewhat superficially. All that coughing and wheezing had robbed the season and the Alleluias of their joy and lustre - but whilst this was understandable at the height of my virus, I am no longer ill. I can - must; want to - return to Eastertide.

Thirty days of Eastertide have passed, barely noticed... but there are still twenty left. And I can choose to spend those twenty days with more intention and attention, and awareness of the surprising, joy-bringing, new life and hope-giving presence of Jesus, risen and redeeming. I can choose to return to Eastertide, and to live some words of Pope Francis, which I made a note of at the start of this year:

May we learn to live every day, every moment, every action with our inner gaze turned to Jesus, in all our joys and sorrows, satisfactions and problems. Let us live everything in the presence and with the grace of Jesus, the Lord, in gratitude and hope.

Yes, I can choose to return to Eastertide, to presence and quiet joy; and I can also pray for anyone who, for whatever reason, cannot yet do this.