Click here to view the photo slideshow from MSIA’s Easter Sunday at the Beach.

My experience with MSIA’s annual Easter at the Beach event with John Morton started with the pancakes. My husband Peter and I had volunteered to help prepare vast quantities of pancakes for our community meal at the beach. Little did I know that I was actually involved with some of the first ingredients of a recipe for joy.

When we arrived at the beach, it was clear we were blessed with a gorgeous day—a clear sky, a majestic view of the ocean, and temperatures right in the not-too-hot, not-too-cold zone. Peter was on photojournalist duty, so I found a comfy plastic chair to sit on and drank in the sights and sounds around me. Wow, what a gift; everything looked so beautiful.

The official program for the day unfolded smoothly, MC’d with humor and aplomb by John & Kelly. We began our celebration with the gift of a baby blessing by John Morton for Zachariah Wiggan, followed by wonderful musical entertainment by Ariel Downs (playing an original composition on keyboard!), Chace Beech (singing “Recipe for Joy” with full American Idol gusto), and Bob Tackney (taking us to the Soul realm with a full heart and folk rhythm).

John Morton then spoke with us, sharing the Traveler’s love and grace. Some of the things I experienced the Traveler draw my awareness to included the beauty of nature and the ocean, the joyful presence of children, and the opportunity that Easter brings to lift in consciousness and share blessings in life and the world.

When John finished sharing, the service concluded with more music and song, as Ariel Downs returned to her keyboard to sing John Lennon’s “Imagine.” That was the perfect cue for everyone to partake of the brunch food that was in abundant supply (complete with eggs, fruit, bagels, pastries, fresh World Peace coffee donated by Urth Caff