An invitation to Take Up Something New for Eastertide • Explore my collection of favorite Eastertide reads across various genres • Take out, renew, or gift an annual subscription this month to enter a drawing to win a copy of A New Beginning: A Guided Coloring Journal for Rest and Meditation by Amy Willers —Scroll down to find out April’s winner + an announcement about a bonus gift for contemplative birdwatching in May!
Welcome, May!
(And a special welcome to all of you who found me this month through my poem published in Biola University’s Lent Project. )
It is typical, I think, for parents of school-aged children to feel some anxiety about May, that perfect storm of end-of-year overload and emotional transitions. I can’t believe how quickly I've moved beyond those memories, and now I love this shoulder season between spring and summer. The “will they or won’t they” flirtation of April weather will finally be answered, and for a few solid weeks in the Northeast, we get my favorite weather forecast, which I endearingly call “fan weather.” It’s not too cold or too hot to have the windows open and just right for a fan blowing during the daytime and, even better, during the sleeping hours of the night. Early May and early October provide the best sleeping weather of the whole year, and as we've established around here, I am a big fan of sleep.
But this year, that’s not even the main reason I’m looking forward to May. After a stretch filled with study deadlines, work travel, and ministry commitments, early May marks the moment when three significant responsibilities take a break for the summer. I’ll return to starting or ending my days with walks along the Long Island Sound, breathing in the breeze, and letting my mind wander toward vacation. The back patio will be swept, and the umbrella opened over the table for morning coffee or afternoon tea. It’s Eastertide, so there’s still chocolate around, a sweet reminder of celebration. The trees are starting to green, and soon I’ll be able to stretch out in the hammock and read in their shade. May arrives gently, hinting at summer and all its slow pleasures.
Eastertide, with its 50 days of celebration, invites us not just to remember the resurrection but to live it out daily. As I mentioned earlier, it's a season to practice resurrection in our ordinary routines. This could be a bold adventure, like my friend who is starting a business or my brother-in-law who ran the Boston Marathon last week, but it doesn't require grand gestures; instead, it's about embracing small, intentional acts that celebrate life and renewal. Whether it's taking a moment of silence in the morning, reaching out to a friend, or simply noticing the budding trees, these practices ground us in the reality of Christ’s life in us.
In the recording above, I mention a favorite poem for Eastertide, the one in which we hear the two-word invitation for everyday: practice resurrection. The closing line of Wendell Berry’s 1973 poetic manifesto was popularized by Eugene Peterson’s 2010 book, Practice Resurrection: A Conversation in Growing Up. Now I find the phrase popping up in so many wonderful places, and I hope we’ll never forget that while resurrection is God’s new creation, the words practice resurrection came to us from a poet.
In 2019, I invited several friends to share a snapshot of their lives during the weeks of Eastertide through the lens of Wendell Berry’s poem. Part of the deal was that they would read the poem to us and then share some photos from what practicing resurrection looked like in their lives during that season. When I made the invitations for that series, I chose people who consistently invited me through their social media presence to regularly consider restoration, beauty, and goodness, even and especially in the face of difficulty and suffering.
Looking back at that series, I see their invitation more compelling than ever. As we move through this season of Eastertide, we carry with us the sober prayers of Lent. The weight of the world’s chaos and suffering hasn’t disappeared. It’s still there, pressing in on all sides, reminding us of our vulnerability. Yet, in the midst of it, we’re invited to a quiet resistance—the gentle, steady practice of resurrection. Resurrection isn’t loud or forceful; it resists by simply continuing a heartbeat. (and we all know that even when that heartbeat ends, the story of that life continues to nourish new life long after the living is done.)
By showing up with kindness, by taking small steps toward life and light, by holding space for hope even when things look bleak. The beauty of Eastertide is that it doesn’t require us to ignore the darkness but to meet it with the quiet, persistent power of new life that will never die. Resurrection bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. It is faith, hope, and love that remain.
As May arrives, my days will begin to feel quieter and slower, a welcome shift after the busyness of the past season. For many, however, May brings a surge of activity and increasing demands. Whether our May is filled with calm or chaos, there’s something beautiful to look forward to in this season.
Here are (more than) a few things I’m excited about:
Completing two final exams to end my seminary semester
related: Reading for enjoyment (although I have greatly enjoyed this semester’s assigned reading)
The final rewarding sessions of a long and hard-fought season of relational healing groups at our church (I am so proud of these participants and so grateful to our healing God!)
All of the Eastertide celebrations our church family has planned
Garden inspiration from my new restful television favorite
The daily resurrection practice for the Great 50 Days
related: multiple daily walks in my neighborhood
related: Rogationtide is coming at the end of the month!
Visiting our sweet granddaughter in ATX (plus her parents and uncle, of course)
The free beach days in our neighboring towns
Listening to my Eastertide playlist: This is the Way the World Begins
Reading this favorite novel with my church reading group
Making more dandelion-infused recipes
All of the outdoor fun with my grandchildren
A couple of links:
It was a total surprise to me Biola University published a poem I wrote. I wrote “be believing” in 2011 as a reflection on John 20:19-30 and was inspired by the format of Luci Shaw’s poem, “Ascending.”
You might enjoy reading the Eastertide series I wrote in 2021, titled "Practice Resurrection Stories." That year, I let the Mad Farmer’s words inspire my storytelling. I wrote the series of brief biographical reflections in the hope that something I shared would encourage readers to think differently about their own lives and to respond to that new way of thinking with joy, courage, and new ways of living. Enjoy!
And here’s me reading “Manifesto: Mad Farmer Liberation Front” by Wendell Berry
April Book Giveaway Winner + a bonus gift for everyone in May
April is typically a low month for new and renewed subscriptions because so many people leave after the Lent Daybook series concludes. This makes me especially grateful for each person who took out or renewed a paid subscription in April.
This month’s winner is Grace Wallace! Keep an eye on your front porch for a special delivery of A New Beginning: A Guided Coloring Journal for Rest and Meditation by my friend Amy Willers!
I’m especially excited for a bonus gift we’ll be offering paid subscribers this month! Keep watching your Easter Daybook posts each Sunday for a downloadable retreat guide, Birdwatching As A Spiritual Practice, ” by my friend Elise McCandless.
If you think a friend or loved one would enjoy Restful by Tamara Hill Murphy, gift subscriptions are available here
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