Transformation...

The Saturday of Holy Week is an awkwardly strange sort of waiting period in the Christian calendar, in that the worst has happened and we are waiting for the stone to be rolled away.  The difference for us is that, we know that the stone will be rolled away, and that there will be joy in the morning.

Not so with all transformations in our lives, except that, I think, the hope that comes out of the Resurrection can be allowed to spill over into the rest of our lives.  We all acquire personas in this life, according to our family positions, our occupations, our hobbies, our relationships, and on and on.  The trick comes when those labels, whether given or owned, change.  The times when there are role reversals, and we are taking care of our parents.  The times when, if we are truthful with ourselves, while we still play an instrument, we can't really claim to a professional title.  The times when age is creeping into our voices and our ranges no longer fit comfortably in a previous spot.
The times when our children have grown up, and sometimes just need for us to back off.  The times when the organizations of which we have tried to be a part are oblivious to our absence.  The times when, basically, the "labels" which defined us previously may not define us any more.

Christ was one thing to those who followed Him during His life on Earth.  But that changed, or was illuminated, when the stone was rolled away.  Those of us in the midst of redefining ourselves can take hope from that.  Happy Easter!