“The tiny flame that lights up the human heart is like
A blazing torch that comes down from heaven to light up
The paths of mankind. For in one soul are contained
The hopes and feelings of all Mankind.”
Kahlil Gibran

Heaven has welcomed with joy, Frederica Warner, a grand lady, whose love, kindness, and mercy have touched thousands of lives helping those less fortunate, to survive and live a life of dignity. She is a living legend in Orange County for her myriad volunteer contributions, but she is best known as the founder and Executive Director Emeritus of Meals on Wheels of greater Newburgh established in 1972.

There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and as long as we live, they too shall live, for they are a part of us, as we remember them. So many lives were brightened with Frederica’s grace, wisdom, and kindness, and so many hearts remember her with love. We send our heartfelt prayers for her dear family, precious daughter, Maxine, and son-in-law, Sir Eric Burton, and we, too, are celebrating her beautiful well-lived life.

Frederica is an angel whose love is a sweet heavenly song touching our heart and soul. God bless your dear heart and soul as we all sing your tuneful send-off, “Toodeloo,” your catchy melody of love dancing in our heart until we meet again.

Christians are now celebrating the solemnity of Holy Week, which began on Palm Sunday to the Easter Vigil on the following Saturday evening, and Easter Sunday. All over the world, Christians celebrate the glory of Easter, a time of rejoicing that salvation is possible and that Lent is over, and again, we can sing the Alleluia and the Gloria. Jesus made the supreme sacrifice for us on a wooden Cross, so that we might become worthy of Heaven by living a good and holy life of love, hope, and forgiveness.

There is great joy as we share our hearts and celebrate with our children and family, delighting in the search for hidden Easter eggs of bright colors and designs, and fill baskets with jelly beans and chocolate bunnies. What is lovelier than little girls wearing pretty dresses and bonnets, and little boys proud in their Easter finery, showing off a new suit and dashing tie!

That is the balance of sharing the sacred symbols of the season with the secular world. Easter is the greatest feast in the Church, and it has been celebrated since the First Century. From a young age, the Easter story of Jesus’ death and resurrection is told to children so they will know the Christian meaning of Easter.

Parents explain to children that this is such a great feast that even nature and the animals honor Jesus on that day. The flowers poke through the earth, there is new life on the trees, and even the animals leave their long hibernation to celebrate this glorious season. God’s goodness is all around us. We are reminded that “for everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

The most beloved of Jewish holidays is the festival of Passover, an eight-day celebration beginning at sundown, April 20, commemorating the delivery of Jews from slavery in Egypt. The word, Passover, comes from the Hebrew Pesach, meaning to pass over or spare, and represents a cherished traditional Jewish value, the love of freedom.

Passover is a beautiful family holiday conveying the treasured story to the next generation. This is done on the first two nights at the “Seders” with the help of the “Haggadah,” the Passover prayer book. Children are an integral part of the Seders, and it is the youngest child’s role to ask the Four Questions about the importance of the night; others look for the “afikomen,” special matzah, a large flat cracker, hidden before the Seder. Matzo is unleavened bread in remembrance of how their ancestors struggled for their freedom, and in their rush to escape, the bread didn’t have time to rise.

There are singing and laughter, and sharing happy memories, and then the door is opened for Elijah, the prophet, and songs of praise are sung to welcome the prophet. No one would see Elijah, but they would feel his spirit enter the house. My wishes for a blessed Passover, as you enjoy the beautiful traditions that are so heartwarming.

May you always have an angel at your side.