SALADO, Texas (KWTX) – One Central Texan is putting faith into action this Easter — one handmade cross at a time.
In his workshop, Aaron Rodeffer measures, saws and hammers pieces of wood into simple crosses. Then, he places them in his front yard with a sign that reads: “Free crosses. Happy Easter.” Anyone passing by is welcome to take one.
Rodeffer started the tradition in 2020 while working on other projects in his shop.
“It was almost like I got a little nudge on the shoulder, God speaking to me,” Rodeffer said. “He says, ‘Why don’t you make some crosses?’”
That first year, he made 50.
“They just started disappearing,” he said.
One moment from that first Easter stuck with him: A family with two small children stopped to pick out a cross. Rodeffer said the little girl found the one she wanted, and her brother agreed. Then she hugged it.
“It just made a huge impression on me,” he said. “I said, ‘OK, I’m locked in. I’m going to do this for every year that I’m able.’”
Seven years later, Rodeffer estimates he has made about 500 crosses — and he says the meaning behind the work has only grown.
“Having the opportunity to bless people with a representation of what Easter truly means just kind of gets to me,” he said.
Neighbors now look forward to seeing the crosses each year. When News 10 visited just four days after Rodeffer lined his lawn, only one cross remained.
For Rodeffer, the project is about more than springtime traditions.
“Easter to me is so much more than chocolate, Easter bunnies and Easter egg hunts,” he said. “It’s a time to really recognize the sacrifice.”
What starts as a simple piece of wood becomes something more — a symbol of faith, freely shared with the community.
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