Page 82 - April 2017 Life In Naplles Magazine

Good
Eggs

in our Lives
by Lois Bolin
Old Naples Historian
E aster holds a special meaning

for us all. For some it’s a sign
that our favorite restaurant will
be easier to visit as our seasonal
guests begin their exodus after
Easter weekend. For others, it’s a time for
Easter bunnies and egg hunts and for many,
it is a time to celebrate the resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
Easter is at the heart of Christian faith,
and if such is the case in your home, you
may have had to address to your little ones
the question: “What does Easter bunnies, egg
hunts, etc. have to do with Easter?”
Well, once upon a time Christians would
abstain from eating eggs and meat during
Lent. Easter was the first chance to eat eggs
after a long period of abstinence. It was
difficult to preserve milk and meat products
because they did not have refrigerators.
(What? The kids must be thinking.) Such was
not true of eggs because they do not perish
quickly and…providing the hens would
to take the shot again. To his way of thinking, Easter reminds him that we get the chance
cooperate throughout Lent; a surplus would
to keep trying to live the God-kind of life.
exist by Easter, providing a natural way to
break the fast on Easter Sunday. Good Egg Award
The origin of the Easter Bunny’s roots go
back to pre-Christian, Anglo-Saxon history. This year SWFL Veterans Alliance will begin their Good Egg Award to honor those
Their pagan celebration worshipped the community stewards’ ‘egg-ceptional’ efforts to support and honor our active military
goddess Eastre, the goddess of fertility and families and veterans as well as education in local and American history.
springtime, and her symbol was the rabbit. While the nominations have not been finalized there are a few of behind the scenes
After Anglo-Saxons converted to Christianity, ‘egg-stra’ special people who quietly serve and are ‘egg-sactly what every community
their springtime holiday, which occurred needs.
around the same time as Jesus' resurrection,
was combined with the Christian celebration
Alfie Oakes, owner of Oakes Farms has supported the Greatest Generation Breakfast
and given the name Easter.
every August with a Victory Garden stand where Veterans take home a ‘we care’
Pastor David Ireland, who is also a diversity
package.
consultant to the NBA explained that Easter
is God’s mulligan to humanity. For you non-
golfers, a mulligan is a stroke that is replayed Don Treglown is pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, which serves as luncheon host for
from the spot of the prior stroke without any the Marine Corps League every Tuesday. In the past 10 years, his church has sent over
penalty - the error has been forgiven so we get 73 tons of care packages to our active military overseas.

82 Life in Naples | April 2017