In my childhood, spring would make its presence felt very close to Easter, as a natural change towards the fulfillment of an ever-present bond: the first flowers had Palm Sunday buds and were open enough for us to take them to church when we passed under the Holy Epitaph. The weather was getting warmer by the day, and I remember that the first green salad we ate from our garden was exactly on Easter or during the Bright Week. We didn't have supermarkets full of countless products from other countries; we ate what grew in the garden.
In my early years, I noticed that, one night a year, my mother would be away from home and would return with a special aura, with a lit candle and a special anaphura. As I grew older, I would stay awake to wait for my mother, to take the anaphura as soon as she arrived home and to taste the prepared dishes. Later, I started going with her too, and by sixth grade, I was already going to church without my mother. We had formed a large group of girls, and it was a great joy, because on our way to the service, we would go by each girl's house and 'pick her up' from home. Back then, we didn't have mobile phones ‒ we would set a time and it was essential to be punctual!
But, for us, the main attraction was meeting with friends. We would stay in the churchyard and, unfortunately, paid little attention to the services. Then... there was a completely different year... for me... On Easter night, I fell asleep around 10 PM and couldn't be woken up to leave with the group of children at 11:30 PM. I woke up dazed around 1-2 AM and was very upset that I had missed the beginning. In my stubbornness, I still wanted to go, so my mother drove me almost to the church. Then, for the first time in my life, it seemed too cold to stay outside, so I felt compelled to go inside and remain in the church. That was the moment I saw and heard what was happening during the Resurrection service. For many years, I didn't want to feel the cold outside anymore, when inside there is so much warmth. This closeness to God and Orthodoxy would later be my salvation in difficult times.
And so, an unforeseen event, which I initially perceived as entirely unfortunate, led to a major change in my soul. Such things happen to us so often! We need such moments just as a sick person needs emergency surgery! We only need to have an open soul, so that we can feel the blessing where otherwise we would see failure.
Daniela Ilioiu