Our Last Day in McAllen

He is risen indeed, and we are most blessed to have the assurance that as Christ rose from the grave, so we too will rise to heavenly glory.  I took the above picture at Our Savior Lutheran church, the church which we have been attending during the past three months.  However, today I attended sunrise services at St.Paul Lutheran (the church of my childhood) with my brother Wayne.  After the sunrise service we stayed at St.Paul's church for a meal of breakfast tacos- certainly not the usual Easter breakfast for us!  John joined me later for a service at Our Savior.  He has been under the weather, but feeling better now.   This afternoon we were invited by Pastor Steve Herzberg and his wife to their house for an Easter luncheon, which was followed by the usual egg hunt for the younger children.  And John and I learned all about confetti eggs, which are quite popular down here; sold in many stores and by street vendors.  I understand that they are made in Mexico, but they are not a custom of that country.  Real eggs are emptied by opening one of the ends, the egg is filled with small colorful pieces of paper, and the opened end is sealed shut with tape.  The eggs are then hidden and, after the children find them, a merry chase ensues.  The children, with eggs in hand,  crack them open on unsuspecting heads and backs.  Soon everyone has confetti-littered hair, unless they are bald.  John and I walked through a city park later this afternoon, and saw many people there with confetti in their hair and on their clothes.  It seemed to be the fashion statement for the day!

It is our last day here in McAllen.  We will miss the new friends we have made and the flowering beauty which has surrounded us here.  The cactus pictured above is located several trailers down from our home.  I have watched it begin blooming a couple of months ago and now its flowers are fading.  There are a few trees here in the park still loaded with oranges, and they are starting to bloom with white flowers.  Sometimes during the late night hours or at sunrise the sweet scent of those blossoms fill the air.  There are many other trees down here with showy white blossoms, as the Texas wild olive tree.  Its flower and fruit are pictured below.   However, much as we like it here, we still cannot avoid the fact that the weather is getting warmer and it is  time to make our departure from the Valley.  We plan on leaving tomorrow, in search of the bluebonnets of Texas, before continuing our way north out of the state.