How was your Easter? I think we would all agree it was different from all others. With social distancing, church services were moved to streaming with empty pews. Absent were the lovely Easter lilies, magnificent music and message of hope and resurrection. Even though services were carried out differently, the Easter message remains the same. It never changes.

Some observations and tidbits:

• My Easter basket from daughters Sally and Charlotte was timely! Along with candy and fragrances, it contained disinfectants and paper towels but no toilet paper.

• It has been heartwarming to see families and pets out strolling together in this beautiful spring weather.

• I have seen a father and child thoroughly enjoying a home-created water slide with all the splashes included.

Ann Bull reports that Mickey and Carol Perrin enjoyed dying Easter eggs this year, even without little ones there to share the fun, proving to us age is not a factor in celebrating Easter and its many joys.

How are you staying in contact with friends and family during the quarantine? Some still prefer snail mail and phone calls, while others are using social media.

Many groups are getting together with Zoom. This app allows you to have group discussions and see the people you are talking with on your computer screen.

Brenda Maxwell and Debbie Jones have been helping others use this technology to stay in touch. What other kinds of communication have you experienced?

Look out Lexington and Lake Murray! You may see or hear Swamp Fox F-16s flying over the next several weeks. Due to some limitations on the availability of training airspace typically used by the SC Air National Guard, our area will be used. McIntyre National Guard Base appreciates your understanding for recognizing the role this base plays in our nation’s defense.

And Facebook says, “You are not stuck at home, you are blessed to have a home”.

The CEO of Walmart says, “When the quarantine first started, paper products were the most wanted item, then it was puzzles, games and other items to entertain children. Now it is grooming products, including hair color!”

Annie Mack, Director of Lexington Senior Center, tells us the White Knoll High ROTC program donated 100 lovely carnations to each recipient of their Meals On Wheels program. They continue to deliver hot meals to the shut-ins and elderly.

Regarding Lexington School District 2, Connie K. Smith of Sodexo food services reports: “4 school sites will be open as distribution points: Riverbank Elementary, Cayce Elementary, Wood Elementary and Airport High. We will serve meals at curbside and on buses. We will serve from 11 am - 1 pm. We will serve bag lunch and breakfast.”

Radius Church is sending handwritten notes of thanks and snacks to the hardworking and dedicated staff at Lexington Medical Center.

Birthdays are now being celebrated with drive-by parades. So often the honoree stands from a distance while well-wishers, equipped with festive balloons, bubble blowing kits and Happy Birthday streamers and signs ride by. A local Lexington girl, Kailee, celebrating her 17th birthday, held a can of Lysol disinfectant as friends came by. It was all done in good spirits!

Happy Birthday to Michele Adams, Mary Howard, Sarah Coogler, Rebekah Tinman, H. M. Sox, Stanley Freeman, Ryan Kempf, April Grant, Luke Cullinan, MacKenzie Forbes, Antoni Forbes, Shirley Towne, Chuck Billings, Caroline McCurdy, Margaret McCurdy, Brett McNeal, Ann Jodie, Nina Tansey, Manning Crapps, Greg Dahl, Sinclaire Fields, Dagmar Wunderlich, Chris Cook, Ryan McFarland, Madison Summerall, Kate Dicker Gehling, John Tucker, Mallory Coleman, Andy Marchant, Mason Mims, Tracey Owen, Caitlin Catalanotto, Glenn Hayes, Carolyn Taylor, Noah Oxley.