Easter Celebrations

Where do the days go? I had intended to faithfully blog all last week...what happened? I guess sometimes life just gets busy.

Happy Easter (a day late) to any one who reads this blog!

I love Easter. Why? Because it is truly a sacred holiday. Yes, there has been that bit of commercialization with the Easter Bunny...but let's be honest, the Easter Bunny isn't anything like Santa for kids. When I was a kid...I always imagined the Easter Bunny as some kind of a person dressed up like a bunny (kinda like the Easter Bunny in the Santa Clause movies). It just didn't seem plausible to my little mind that there was a cute little bunny hopping around with a fist or mouth full of Easter Baskets.

Probably because the Easter Bunny is so implausible...I developed a religious appreciation of Easter first (out of all the Christian Holidays). I was able to focus quickly on the true meaning of Easter.

Sundays are always crazy days at our home. It's one of the busiest days of the week. Yesterday was no exception. I was worried about losing this important holiday in the shuffle. When we woke up...I went to the kitchen and made German Pancakes (some people call the Hootenanny Pancakes). I thought it was significant since there is no real "leavening" (like yeast, baking soda or baking powder) agent, yet the pancake still rises up the sides of the pan. It reminded me of the Passover feast of unleavened bread & the last supper. On a deeper level, it reminded me of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ who rose from the tomb on the first Easter Morning.

The children then went on a hunt to find the small Easter Baskets the Easter Bunny had hidden and left for them. They enjoyed finding their goodies and we listened to MoTab music while the children searched. I still don't know what bunnies and chocolate have to do with Easter (any thoughts?) but it is a fun tradition that the kids enjoy and I get a little chocolate out of the deal...so it's all good.

A little later in the day..., I hid some plastic eggs, that Daddy and I had filled, around the yard and family room. Big Sis. especially loved that activity and spent much of the rest of the day hiding eggs and then excitedly watching Mommy and Daddy look for her hidden treasures. The cool thing about that was that she was so excited to be participating and she was so thrilled for us when we found something she had hidden. I can actually relate to the hiding of Easter eggs because after they are hidden a search begins and then we find one treasure, then another...For me this really relates to the Gospel and in a broader sense to the Atonement. In order to really discover the beauties and the amazing treasure of these gifts, we really have to do some searching. Then we find a little something and still have to open that up in order to really partake of the goodness within.

Finally we were able to attend our Church meetings. Baby Boy had a fit before the sacrament was even passed and I found myself out in the hall for most of the meeting (as usual). Eventually, I went into the Primary room to get chairs set up and do some prep for our President's Sharing Time. Thankfully, there is a PA system in the primary room and I could hear what was happening in Sacrament meeting. I did enjoy the meeting (even though I can't tell you one thing that was said). The 'song of the month' in primary is, "If the Savior Stood Beside Me." Hearing the children sing that song brought the power of the Savior, his life and Atoning sacrifice to my heart.

Happy Easter everyone.