In the place called Calvary or Golgotha

Remember what happened on this day back 2,000 years ago. A man who made a simple choice to suffer greatly for the sins of all mankind.

He chose the nails.

There could be no resurrection without crucifixion. Think about how painful this was for a second.

• The condemned is forced to lay on his back with arms stretched out across the horizontal portion of the cross known as the patibulum.
• The Roman legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist and drives a heavy, square, wrought iron nail through the wrist and deep into the wood. He repeats this on the other side of the patibulum.
• The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees moderately flexed.
• The cross is then lifted into place and dropped into the hole prepared to receive it with the force of gravity ripping the wounds of the victim as he plunges to the forceful stop at the end of the hole.
• As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating, fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain – the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves.
• As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet.
• Again, there is the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the metatarsal bones of the feet.
• As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain.
• With these cramps comes the inability to push Himself upward … air can be drawn into the lungs, but cannot be exhaled.
• He would fight to raise Himself in order to get even one small breath.
• Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the bloodstream and the cramps partially subside.
• Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in the oxygen.
• Hours of this limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from His lacerated back as He moves up and down against the rough time.
• Finally, a deep crushing pain deep in the chest begins as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.
• Because of the loss of fluid, the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues – the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air … until it's over.
  

Read the rest here.

Read it straight from the source
From Luke

23:33 And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
23:35 And the people stood beholding. And the rulers also with them derided him, saying, He saved others; let him save himself, if he be Christ, the chosen of God.

Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. (Luke 23:34)
Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43)
Woman, behold your son: behold your mother. (John 19:26.)
My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? (Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34)
I thirst. (John 19:28)
It is finished. (John 19:30)
Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. (Luke 23:46)

Even after all that pain, after being scourged, mocked, spat upon and betrayed, Jesus managed to utter verse 34.

Wow.

So think about that when you're going about your daily life. Think about why He chose the nails.

My memories of Good Friday are that my grandfather always planted his garden on this day every year. I always assumed some mystical reason for this, but his reasoning was simple.

There are no frosts in Mobile, Alabama after Good Friday.