I think Spring might have finally come to stay...or at least I hope! Jonas and I are glad that we missed the crazy winter storm that dumped 10 inches of fresh snow over "spring" break. I just hope the beautiful sun that graced our Easter weekend is here to stay. This year, our Easter celebrations were a little split up because of everyone's Spring Break plans. We started some celebrations the week before Holy Week (which was Spring Break) and culminated with the Easter weekend when we were all back together again. Last year, as we studied the Old Testament, I fell in love with the ancient Israelite (Jewish) promises, covenants, and traditions. I started to have my eyes opened to how much the Old Testament stories influenced the traditions that Christ honored and grew up with. The New Testament then took on a deeper meaning as I saw these traditions weave in and out of Christ's story, including his last week. For a few years, I have felt that our Easter celebration have paled in comparison to Christmas; yet, if there wasn't Easter, would Christmas even matter? Therefore, I have tried to establish more meaningful and memorable Easter traditions. Each day of Holy Week, we read in the synoptic gospels about what Christ was doing that day. Moreover, we have a couple of fun dinner traditions. For Palm Sunday (March 26th), we read about his triumphal entry into Jerusalem then celebrated with palm "sundaes" after dinner. (This year I also decided to have a burrito bar for dinner because Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey -- donkey in Spanish is burro -- a little donkey would be "burrito"...clever? or just silly? I think clever.)
Thursday (March 30th), Jeff, Jonas and I celebrated Passover. As we ate, I explained the significance of the Seder plate and the rituals surrounding this sacred meal. We talked about how Christ would have known these rituals and how He changed them to prepare the world for something more - for his atonement. He instituted the sacrament practices so many Christian religions practice today. We discussed what happened after the passover meal - His suffering in the Garden, betrayal, and arrest. We then had the opportunity to tour a life-sized replica of the ancient tabernacle that eventually inspired Solomon and Herod's temples. (Unfortunately, that evening, Jonas wasn't feeling well so we actually returned the day after Easter (Monday, April 10th) to finish the tour.) I loved showing Jonas how the ancient Tabernacle inspired the traditions and covenants associated with our modern day temples.
Finally, we all returned from our Spring Break vacations to celebrate the Easter weekend together. I like to enjoy all the secular Easter traditions on Saturday (April 8th) so that Easter Sunday (April 9th) can be more focused on Christ's resurrection and the renewal of hope and life that His atonement brings. Saturday night, everyone gathered to color eggs (at least the little kids did), enjoy a yummy burger BBQ, and hunt for eggs. This year, our egg hunt was a little different. Instead of hiding each other's eggs, we spread the eggs out in the grass, grabbed a partner, blindfolded one of the partners, then the other partner would direct his/her partner to the eggs. It was actually pretty fun...and pretty hilarious too. Let's just say that not all of us are very good with our left and rights.
On Easter Sunday, Laurin and her little family joined us at church. This year, we only attended our sacrament meeting. It was full of music and spoken word that honored our Savior. My heart was full as I considered what He has done for me personally. I am eternally grateful for His patience, His presence, and His peace. Heaven knows I need all of that! Life isn't always easy. Living in a non-traditional family can be difficult to navigate at times. Emotions are often raw and sometimes it sucks, but He is there through it all. He is the example I strive to follow and the Light that illuminates my dark times. After church, we enjoyed the day as a family. (Dallin eventually joined us too. Amber and Jacob were celebrating with his family.) I made resurrection rolls with Carter and Jonas then we had a nice meal for dinner. It was a simple day with family and an opportunity to reflect on all we have been blessed with because of Him. Happy Easter!
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