From the ashes of our lives, God can help us re-create ourselves into newness, bringing us closer to the fulfillment of the Easter promise in a new moment, in a second chance, in a fresh start, with a new mentality, a new attitude, a new disposition only Christians can know who have patented the sacred story.  Easter begins in the darkness of night, in the seeming finality of earth, in the seeming hopelessness of our lives.  Easter moves beyond those states.  Easter is the eternal morning after the darkest stormiest night. Easter is the stubborn hope of a God who re-creates us and our world until his dream of a humanity bound in his love is realized.  Easter is the Risen Jesus in our midst, enabling us to re-create our broken lives in his compassion and peace.