Easter!! He is risen!!! He is risen indeed!!!

Today was the warmest Easter day I can remember. I believe it was 75 degrees out! It was also one of the most low key quietest Easter days I can remember. When I was a child I remember my mother planning weeks in advance for our Easter celebration. There was shopping for new shoes, a new hair cut and perm,we would search through the Montgomery Wards or Aldens catalog for dresses,or look at patterns and have my aunt sew me a dress. Spring cleaning was done,waxing floors,washing windows,cleaning out cupboards. There was special menu planning.We would usually have a bone in ham,scalloped potatoes,jello salad,baked beans,home made rolls,and of course Lemon pie!!! We boiled and dyed eggs on Saturday of course.

Easter Sunday Morning started early,waking up to a nest of Easter eggs at the foot of our bed, with a small toy!!! My earliest memory of this was when I was four. My brother and I sleepy eyed started eating our candy and all at once felt pain in our jaws and started crying!!! My mother looked us over and told us we had the mumps! 

We always attended church and Sunday School!! It was fun to see my friends also all dressed up special for the day.Of course there was always a story about the death and resurrection of Jesus. My child mind was always obsessed with nails,and the cross,and the crown of thorns. It was way many years latter that I caught on to the resurrection and what it meant for me personally.We went home and after our meal and visiting all day would go back to church in the evening and the day would finally end around 10:00 p.m.

When I got married and had a family, my husband and I carried on many of these traditions. Easter was always about Jesus dying for us,because he loves us so much,and coming to life so that we can have eternal life. We had dinner at my husbands folks home, and our childrens cousins would be there from out of town 

We now have Grandchildren. Ten years ago or more I started collecting bunnies,and enjoyed sharing them with my Grands. We've had many family dinners at our home and my daughter and daughter-in-laws have also shared their homes at Easter. I still believe Jesus died for my sins,so that I can live beyond the grave. This week I've been mindful of this Holy holiday and what it means,and have tried to look past some of the commercial ways we celebrate the day.We haven't attended a church Easter service in several years,and we didn't today. We went to brunch with my Daughters family at a lovely winery, I got the Grands Easter baskets, everyone was spit shined. It's now after the day is almost gone that I wished I'd said something about why we celebrate this day so big.I hope they knew why, I'm sure they did.  .