Good Friday on the island

Today is Friday, which is always a good thing. But more importantly, it is Good Friday, the day that Jesus took our sins upon himself and died for us on the cross. And here on the island this is a very holy day. Without the sadness of Good Friday, you cannot have the wonder of Easter. The Easter bunny and chocolate eggs are not in evidence here on Grand Turk. Believe me, I tried to find them because it has been a tradition in our household to wake up to an egg hunt on Easter, complete with all the chocolate and candy that goes along with it. Not this year apparently.

This year it's all about the fish. Yes, the fish. Fish is what you eat on Good Friday. No meat, just fish. And, you would think that, living on an island, fish would be plentiful. But ... that is sadly not the case. There are a number of reasons for this. The number of fishermen on the island has decreased. It is harder to find fish unless you go further out to sea, which means investing more in your boat, which is problematic here on the island where many people struggle to feed themselves and their families. But everyone wants fish. Everyone is looking to buy fish. My husband's friend DeMarco says that this is the time of year that you can take that old freezer-burned bit of fish stuck to the bottom of your freezer and sell it. In fact, there would probably be a bidding war for it.

But Easter is all about the turkey. We have always been the ones to host the holiday dinners and that is one thing that we've missed being here. But not this Easter. We've got some island family coming for turkey and all the trimmings. I can't wait. I love cooking for people, having them all around our table and sharing in a meal, complete with stories and lots of laughter.

And best of all, I'm making some Easter egg cookies that I'm going to hide around the house for the kids to find. It's not chocolate ... but the next best thing ... and made with love. Now ... I just have to find out how to keep the dogs from finding them!

And for those of you marking Good Friday, remember the words found in Psalm 30:5 "Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." God bless.