Easter

I heard a fraction of a wonderful sermon on the radio on my way to Super Target last week about not just living a full life, but rather a fulfilling one. It got me thinking about priorities, and pricked my conscience to really scrutinize my plans for the week. I love to celebrate Easter, and for me, part of the fun is in the preparations. I have certainly been guilty of packing the days leading up to Easter very full, preparing for big meals, shopping for the right dresses, and transforming my house into a Peter Rabbit Wonderland. This year, life was full enough with schooling and a baby and day to day life. So, we worked together as a family to find fulfillment in keeping the focus where it needed to be, and the result was a very peaceful and joy filled week.

For my part, I needed to step away from the computer for a few days. I have to install a program on the new computer that will require time and effort to learn, so I decided it needed to wait until after Easter. I tried to keep a running list of all the things I wanted to blog about when I returned this week, but of course the list is long, and if I wait until I can recap every single thing that happened I'll never get around to posting. So, here are the simple highlights...

Friday we colored eggs, which is a big tradition for us. My kids love to make elaborate designs and multi-colored eggs. We always dye way more than we can ever eat, and the challenge is to come up with creative ways to serve eggs three times a day, three days in a row! Oma came to help color the eggs, and Daddy read aloud to us while we worked.

Saturday we went to a Spring Fling at the home of our good friends, Jim and Cindy. They served amazing food and had a huge egg hunt on the lawn for all the kids. Cindy was appalled when she found out I hadn't taken a basket for Emma because I thought she was too young for egg hunting. She immediately found a basket and handed it to Emma, who, it turns out, knew precisely what to do with all those eggs on the ground, thankyouverymuch. We had a heaping basket in no time! She looked so incredibly adorable bending down with such purpose and determination to pick up each egg and place it very deliberately in her little basket. She is getting to be a big girl so fast!!!

Sunday was a double portion of blessing for our family. In addition to celebrating Easter, it was also Hannah's sweet 16 birthday. We piled in her room early in the morning and pounced on her bed to sing Happy Birthday. Teenagers love early morning cheerfulness. See the lump on the bed, hiding under a blue blanket and a dog?

Next we headed downstairs to hunt baskets and have breakfast. A Clifford book and animal cookies scored big points.

The weather was cold and rainy. I was disappointed that Emma's precious little sleeveless dress was going to get covered up with a heavy sweater. No worries. While we were in the bathroom getting ready, Emma tossed part of the dress in the toilet. The beautiful little dress that was given to me as a shower gift and has been hanging in her closet for 16 months, waiting to be worn on Easter morning. That one. So, it was on to Wardrobe Plan B, which involved a dress with sleeves and a matching sweater. :)

Buzz's family and my Mom joined us for supper, and Hannah opened up her presents.

She got a lovely ruby heart necklace from her Nana and Aunt Kay.

After dinner, a sweet family from up the street stopped by with a big cookie for Hannah. She babysits regularly for these cute kiddos, and they are very special little buddies to her. It was so sweet of them to come and surprise her with a treat!

Our week was lovely. I appreciated moments to invest with my family. I was also grateful for the memory of Easter Sunday, sixteen years ago. I'll never forget waking up early in the morning and trying to decide if I was really in labor or not. I didn't want to miss Easter service, so we went to church and sat on the back row, timing contractions and keeping track of them on the church bulletin! We left for the hospital in the early afternoon, just certain that we would have an Easter baby. My Mom had prepared a huge meal, which she ended up packing in coolers and delivering to the nurse's station for all the nurses on duty to enjoy. They were thrilled! The Sound of Music was on TV, and we camped out in the birthing room singing "Raindrops on Roses" and waiting for a baby. Midnight came and went, and no Easter baby. Finally, at 3:20 a.m., after four long hours of pushing, my precious firstborn came into my life, and introduced me to a kind of love I had never known.  Sixteen years have passed in the blink of an eye, leaving in their path a trail of beautiful memories, countless inside jokes, and an everlasting friendship with the most amazing young woman I've every known.  Indeed, a life fulfilled.

Thank you, Lord, for Eater blessings, past and present!