This year we had Easter at Grandma’s house and it was so wonderful! There’s something about your family getting together that is so crazy and busy and sometimes stressful but always completely awesome.
The day started out with our morning church service. There are 2 at our church and we usually go to the earlier one because it’s not as crowded and the longer afternoon is nice. But this week was so awesome that we stayed for the second service’s music as well. I think we would’ve stayed through the whole service all over again if we didn’t have to get home to be ready for Grandma’s house for lunch.
At our family lunch this year, we had Grandma, Papa, Maw, mom and dad, Tim, Lory, Danny and Cindy with the boys and us. A smaller group than previous years but it was kind of nice to cozy up with all the immediate family and spend time talking with each other. We had ham, deviled eggs, broccoli salad, potato salad, carrots with spinach dip, crackers and cheese, and fresh fruit for lunch with mom’s carrot cake and key lime pie for dessert. SO YUMMY!
After lunch I hid eggs with gummy snacks in them for Hayden and Grayson. It’s so fun to watch them get excited and run around looking in everyone’s pockets and in all the little corners of the house! It brings back memories of hunting eggs at mom’s house when we were younger. Our tradition back then was that the grandparents and parents hid them for the kids and then all the kids got to hide them for the parents and grandparents. Every year we hid gobs and gobs of eggs and each year there was a new crazy hiding place like inside the tailpipe of a car. We had to start the car to get it to pop out!
Easter is such a special day, not only do we celebrate the risen savior but also spend time with family have fun and taking pictures. I can’t think of a day, other than maybe Christmas, that I love more. This year the real meaning of Easter hit my heart harder than ever this year and I could not be more thankful for my Lord.
Maybe it’s because of the Good Friday service we had at church. I had never been to one before but now I want to make sure we go every year so that our kids really understand the meaning of it. Our church had a 2 1/2 hour service where 7 preachers each took a saying of Jesus from the cross and spoke on it and then we would sing. It really prepared my heart and mind for the celebration of the resurrection on Sunday. You know in your head that Easter is important because of the finished work of the Lord for our salvation but sometimes we lose sight of it in our hearts.
I am so very thankful for my salvation and for my Savior who was willing to suffer the cross for my sake. Isn’t it wonderful that He didn’t wait until we “deserved it” before He forgave us? How much would it change our lives and the reputation of Christians in general if we were that fast to love and forgive even when we were still hurting and even before the other person “deserved” our mercy! That is the lesson I took away from Easter this year. It’s time to start focusing on how much I have been loved by God and how I can share that love with the people around me more and more.
