Easter

Easter celebrations were a bit hasty and last-minute this year.  (Even more than previous years.)  Could it be a major construction project taking up all the free time?  Or perhaps the princess arising at 4:45am for weeks on end and driving me to the brink of sleep-deprived insanity?  Well, what saved us was a visit from my hardworking mother.  We miss her already (today was grandma detox day, and that's never pretty).  We managed to do a Christian seder/passover meal, which needs some editing for holding children's interest in future, but was still fairly successful according to our own low expectations!  Everyone even enjoyed eating lamb.  Mom and the boys made bunny and basket cupcakes that lasted all weekend, dyed eggs, and did Easter sticker/story books.  Sunday we braved the crowds for an early morning service and then headed home for egg hunting and the ever-popular ham dinner.  Oh, and we had resurrection rolls for Easter breakfast courtesy of Lauren B.'s inspiration, which didn't *quite* result in an 'empty tomb' of croissant dough, but rather a sort of melted marshmallow goo around a very low cave opening...but were oh so tasty nonetheless!!  I later learned that I think I should have made them in muffin tins.  Oops!  So it was a wonderful time of building traditions while we remembered as a family that...
Jesus willingly died for us, in our place.
He proved his claims as Messiah by rising from the dead, and historical evidence holds this up.
He conquered death and invites sinners to be with Him, even a guilty criminal.
WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, he did all of this!  Amazing.
The fear of punishment and death removed, we are freed to love God and others because he first loved us.

That is good news for me.
Happy Easter, a bit late ;)