APRIL 2026

Dear Kind and Gentle People,

Oh, my soul—Happy Spring! March truly came in like a lion and now seems to be going out like a lamb. At the Newfield Community Church, we celebrated Maine Maple Sunday by greeting the faithful with small lumps of maple sugar as they entered the sanctuary. A 1936 photograph of my father and his HOSS, “Poor Old Nellie Gray,” gathering sap on Stickney Hill was transformed into a special notice for our regional celebration.

Here at “The Mill,” Mr. Moose, age 99, is proudly sporting his Easter attire. He hopes to win a blue ribbon as the “most dashing” in the 90–100 age category. Meanwhile, the cows will be calving very soon. A1, the lead cow (yes—named after the steak sauce!) isn’t looking quite as strong as we’d like, but we are hopeful she will do well. The other “girls” seem healthy, and two of them are soft and likely to deliver within a day or two.

As we celebrate Easter and the resurrection, we are reminded that resurrection is really about transformation. Think of maple sap being boiled down into maple syrup or sugar. Or think of the life energy that brings new life into the world, as A1 is preparing to do. And in a lighter way, perhaps it is a bit like Mr. Moose—still holding court at age 99 after his Easter “transformation.”

Resurrection is not simply bouncing back. There is no going “back.” Instead, resurrection moves us forward into a new life—a life we may never have imagined before. God creates life where there seemed to be none—not even the potential for it. Resurrection is less like a happy ending and more like an unexpected beginning.

The risen Christ calls each of us by name, just as he called Mary in the garden. It is a voice that calls us not into the past, but into life—life filled with God’s presence, life that cannot be taken away by circumstances, mistakes, or even death.

We can try to keep Jesus safely inside the tombs we build—
tombs of habit,
tombs of memory,
tombs of comfortable religion.

Or we can let him go—and follow him into life.

We are never quite finished with Jesus, and he is never quite finished with us.

This Easter and throughout Eastertide, share the good news. Trust that wherever love rises again—Christ is there.

Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

As always,

Gobs of blessings and heaps of happiness,

Petah
Rev. Dr. Peter Stickney

1936 Photo by Clinton Stanley Stickney

Mr. Moose’s Dashing Easter Garb by Petah