"R" LOVES playing with Papa on the steps.
Although, I unfortunately wasn't able to attend our Good Friday service (Rose and I were sick)...we did happen to have a beautiful weekend. Good Friday is one of my favorite services so I was sad to miss it. I love the purity of it and lack of commercialism. How do you commercialize THAT?!?! I ask you? I guess the big marketing people haven't yet figured that out either, and I'm so glad that it remains a day of somber remembrance. A day of mourning the pain and agony our Saviour went through in order to give us victory. A day completely outside of anything we could imagine humanly possible. Great sacrifice for someone unborn. I'm humbled to contemplate it and cannot grasp why someone perfectly sinless would take on the payment of my sin. So ugly, so dark, so selfish, unmentionable things. And yet, it's simple...to give me life! So that I would know of his great love for me.
I woke up Sunday morning to the absolute sweetest sound I think possible. In my sleep, I kept hearing, "Happy Easter, mommy. Happy Easter, mommy. Mommy, Happy Easter". I literally woke up with tears in my eyes. I needed this like you wouldn't believe. Saturday, David worked on the installing the furnace all day, Papa came over to deliver our BEAUTIFUL new (old) refinished dining room table. We had a necessary and good visit, the girls and I rushed off to a meeting about a new start-up school in the city (Rose without a nap), and then we ran off to a friend's house for dinner (Rose without a nap). The day was busy, but fun and the meal was a wonderful time to catch up with a group of friends we haven't hung out with in a while. It was all good, but left me rushed to get all the "Easter things" done for the morning. So, I got it all done, but not without loosing my perspective, unfortunately. Somewhat crabby, and very much bossy putting the kids to bed so that I could get done what I "needed" to get done, knowing we'd be rushing off to the 9 AM service the next morning, I put the focus on myself. I wanted the morning to go smoothly, peacefully, after all! My focus was on filling plastic eggs with jelly beans, making sure there was an even amount of M&M's in each egg, opening the package of Princess candy necklaces to make sure they were "string-able" (?), ironing dresses, finding tights, dividing up Smarties, worrying if all the kids would feel happy and excited about their baskets and last but not least, drilling David about how the morning would go...when to hide the eggs and how difficult to hide the eggs. I knew I hadn't done a good job preparing my heart or preparing and quieting the girls' hearts (not to mention David's) for the meaning, beauty, grace and power of Easter Sunday. This little, sweet voice was a beautiful reminder of God's grace and forgiveness. I woke up broken and forgiven. What a wonderful way to start Easter. The day went on beautifully. We had a fun egg hunt (R's FIRST) and an easy lunch here at home, a nap for ALL my kids (a rare event), and some much needed time with my husband. Then off to Grammy T's for the afternoon. I hate to brag, but I have the EASIEST family and in-law situation EVER!!! My in-laws have graciously invited my family to share Easter Sunday every year. So the whole family is there together. MY sisters, nieces and nephew, parents, even friends, everyone! We go to ONE place!! My parents have graciously invited my in-laws over to share Thanksgiving every year. We go to ONE place. Christmas has two days that we split, and hoila!!! Easy-peasy! I continued to be broken and humbled on Sunday, for one reason or another, and God continually showed me gentleness. Another random and sweet encounter with my OTHER daughter. (who hadn't heard my morning wake-up greeting). I was sitting on the couch with my Dad and she walks up, completely random in the middle of her playing and sweetly said, "Happy Easter, Mommy". I can't explain the meaning of it all, but again, I'm broken and God shows His grace and love to me again.
