Happy Easter one day early!  Enjoy this Easter photo of my mom proudly standing with her five little girls!  This is one of my most cherished photos.

Mom made all of our beautiful frilly Easter dresses (see below!)!  And every year she would put together these baskets we all have in the picture below,  filled with colored eggs, chocolates, and Sicilian paneddri (an edible sweet bread dough artfully wrapped around colored hard boiled eggs).

Toni, Nora with Baby Francy sitting on her lap!, Zina, and Jeanie (on your far right) with Mom

Mom and dad made every holiday special.  For them, Easter was far more important than Christmas.  Moving towards Easter  involved a strict and  austere observance of Lent which led to the feast and celebrations of Easter Sunday.   Our two aunties and cousins always joined us for the feast.  The Easter meal  featured  fabulous roasted lamb and roasted potatoes.

I still love this time of year for its promise of renewal, for the warmth and the colorful flowers of spring, and  for the opportunity to welcome the advent of  warmer days and more sunshine!