It's Easter, but it's still time for "Thanksgiving"

We don't have many hard-and-fast traditions associated with Easter. We don't usually have family & friends over (this year, we tried calling the in-laws, but they'd already made plans). We don't talk about the Easter Bunny at all. We don't buy many, if any, presents for the kids (I've never gotten the girls new spring dresses--it would sure be nice, but it isn't always in our budget).

We do, however, have an Easter egg hunt! Usually in the morning, when our kids are still in their PJs.

Celeste was the lucky girl who found the Tangled DVD--our only big "present" for the kids this year (well, that plus all the candy).

Aurora celebrated her first Easter egg hunt by "finding" 2 eggs (with Daddy's help), then sitting down & eating all the candy in said eggs while the older girls found all the rest. Maybe someday she'll learn that there are lots more eggs to find than just two or three; hopefully she'll get more candy that way!

We also hid a few eggs in the backyard...

Lorelai had issues finding a few. Can you see the egg in this picture? You'll probably spot it before she did... :)

Then it was time to feast on their treasures.

 There was one (icky) snag, however. Celeste was digging through her Easter bucket and told us there were "bugs" on the eggs. We looked inside, and sure enough...there were a few ants crawling around!! After frantically digging around for a few seconds, we found one plastic egg with like a dozen ants crawling on the surface. Without further ado, I opened the back door & chucked the egg out. When it hit the ground & broke open, dozens of ants sprayed out onto the patio and started crawling everywhere. GROSS!!! Moral of the story: don't hide Easter eggs outside...at least not overnight!





The rest of the day was fairly uneventful; we ate a Mediterranean-themed dinner (Crock-Pot lamb, couscous, pita bread, & raw vegetables). We like lamb at Easter; maybe because Christ was the Lamb of God? Because it's common fare for that part of the world? I'm not entirely sure.


Now, if I may wax somewhat spiritual...


We were able to get our family pictures taken on Good Friday. As is our family custom, we drove up Madera Canyon, a beautiful getaway from the usual desert landscapes. We took the pictures then had a picnic dinner...good times in a peaceful location. We'll share some of them on the blog later.

Our photographer is a wonderful, brave friend of mine with two lovely children...a friend whose husband passed away just under a year ago, after a yearlong bout with lymphoma (you can read more about it here and here). He was 30 years old; his children are now seven and four years old. It has (understandably) been a really tough year for their family.


In a similar vein, I received more bad news Sunday morning. A married couple who used to live in our ward (they were Lorelai & Celeste's nursery teachers) had a baby at the beginning of March--their first, a little girl. The baby had been diagnosed with heart problems and had open-heart surgery just days after she was born. Well, long story short, she took a turn for the worse and died pretty suddenly--early Easter Sunday morning. It was heartbreaking news; I know that I could barely stand it if any of my beautiful girls were to leave me.

Sometimes, when I see and hear of stories like this, it's normal to feel so powerless against death--and so confused as to why something like this had to happen. I'll freely admit to feeling that way many times. Then Easter comes along--and I'm reminded of why I don't need to feel powerless or confused:

It hurts so much to lose the ones you love, but that loss is not forever, thanks to Jesus Christ. It is so reassuring to know that I will see my loved ones again...and that our sorrow here is only a temporary, mortal sorrow. Christ has given me so much to be thankful for, but an eternal family is surely close to the top of that list. I can look at that family picture and project that happiness into eternity...wow, what a heartening thought!

In Primary yesterday, my photographer friend's 4-year-old son spoke to his classmates. He spoke on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and how because of it, he will be together with his daddy again. It was a beautiful moment, one that made my whole Easter.

It made me think of the things for which I am grateful: a loving, supportive husband; my three beautiful, healthy daughters; a lovely home in a lovely town; many friends far & wide who bring so many different joys; and, last but not least, my knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is my compass, my rock, and my security blanket all in one. I am grateful for Easter; Christmas is really fun, and it's wonderful to acknowledge the birth of Christ, but in a way, Easter is more meaningful because it celebrates the mission  of Christ and the works of Christ. May we never forget them...and may they bring comfort and joy to everyone across the world.