I am reminded again, as we celebrate Easter in the Northern Hemisphere, that it really is a Spring festival. The fresh green leaves on the trees, the tulips in the garden beds, life springing up from the cold wintry earth, all speak of the Resurrection to be celebrated this Sunday. One has a harder time in the Southern Hemisphere to tell the Easter story as leaves fall from the trees and the night’s grow longer. Or, perhaps not, because the Resurrection is, if nothing else, a sign that Hope shines in the darkest moments. One thinks of the Northern Christmas where a baby is born when the night’s are longest and coldest. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot extinguish it.