Easter is a very special holiday for me–always a reminder of renewal and reawakening that is perpetually regenerated throughout the unpredictable cycle of life. In anticipation of Easter, I decorated my house with vases of pussy willow branches, a tradition that stems from Eastern Europe during Palm and Easter Sundays.  I sang Ralph Vaughan Williams’s “Easter” from Five Mystical Songs and “This Joyful Eastertide” with the JUC Choir on Easter Sunday followed by a foothills hike that took place in a warm glow of afternoon sunlight.  The following day, I performed a set of pieces at the Spring Ridge Park Assisted Living facility, several of which were inspired by Easter and the advent of spring.  Included in the ten-piece set were the sing-along songs “You Are My Sunshine” and “Edelweiss” as well as Andrew York’s compositions “Chant,” “Willow,” and “Heath.”  York’s guitar works evoke the beauty of Easter choral music, longstanding Easter traditions, and the beauty of an open, uncultivated heathland, a fitting way to musically express the joys of spring to the residents of Spring Ridge.