—Good Friday Night—
It’s Good Friday, 2022. At Night.
I can’t sleep, so I decide to ride around.
It’s after 10:00 PM
The moon is full, the sky is cloudy, and I see flashes of lightning in the distance. —I can hear the Thunder.
This moment feels so familiar to me. Like I’ve done this before.
The air is fresh, but it even smells familiar— Like something from a long time ago.
Standing on the driveway, I begin to think.
Then, it comes to me. —Moundville, Alabama.
Growing up, each year, my family would pack up and head to Moundville, Alabama, to Camp Out for Easter.
Moundville was Privately owned at that time, and each year, the owner would put on a big Sunrise Service on one of the Mounds.
Us kids —strike that—, Us Cousins, would all go out at night to play.
Our parents would tell us not to leave the park and to be back for breakfast. Life was good.
We played chase, pranks, and even fished—all night long.
Sometimes, my cousins and I would sit on top of a Mound and discuss life. Many serious discussions took place too.
Six or seven cousins, ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old, just sitting on top of a Mound, smoking cigarettes, and talking about life.
Where did we get the cigarettes? That’s another story.
I think those were the moments that we cousins got the closest. Talking about life will do that.
The moon was full, and the sky was much like it is tonight.—Lightning off in the distance. Clouds. —A storm moving in.
It wouldn’t rain on Saturday, though. It would almost always rain on Easter Sunday.
And rain or shine, every Easter Sunday, The Sunrise Service would go on.
After we got back from the Sunrise Service, Mom would put on an Easter Bunny Costume and go around giving us our baskets. Each kid’s basket was specially made for them too.
One year, my Uncle Dale dressed up as the Easter Bunny. It was hilarious.
I could eat breakfast five times. I could eat lunch five times.
Just going from campsite to campsite visiting my family.
Sitting around a fire, eating my third breakfast. Life was good.
—strike that— life was Great.
I love this moment.
