A happy Easter and egg hunt!

We started the Eater weekend on Saturday with a fun egg hunt (our first!) for the kids. It was also dada's birthday. The sun was bright and the little blossoms were popping out on all the trees.  A perfect happy day to celebrate the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

We filled the eggs and baskets with little dollar store cars and trinkets and crafts and puzzles. It's was so much fun. 

The next day was church on Sunday. Freddie and I sang in the choir and every meeting was filled with the spirit and hope through the Atonement. I love my little Easter dinos!

We all got to wear or new Easter clothes and that was super fun. 

We had a delicious ham dinner with Lulu and Pops and sang songs, talked about passed Easters and shared some of our thoughts on the Savior. We did a fun activity from the Children's Friend Magazine on the symbols and meaning of Easter. 

It was a great happy day. 

Lost and found

Weakness

Fear

Insecurity

Insecurities

Doubt

Sadness

Loneliness

Mistakes

Avoidance

Contention

Confrontation

Lies

Jealousy

Judgement

Embarrassment

Anger

Blame

Misunderstanding

Ignorance

These are among the many things I have or do or will struggle with in some big or small way or another in my life. The Atonement of Jesus Christ allows for healing, recognition, enlightenment, repentance and change. 

Freddie and I laid in his bed, speaking of the story of Jesus Christ last night. It's a lot for a little one to understand, so we keep it simple, but he voiced some of his concerns and fears to me and I did my best to listen and comfort and counsel him. It's hard when I myself have fears and am a little child, too, when it comes to knowledge and understanding in the great scheme of things. My finite mind does not comprehend the full magnitude or meaning of the atonement. Yet I as I couldn't sleep tonight, I read much of the story of Christ's last few days as a mortal man on this earth and found insights and comforts to certain and very specific issues and questions I have right now. 

That is a miracle to me-that though the atonement and resurrection are so big and so massively hard to comprehend to my small and inexperienced brain, I do have experience with it. It answers and corrects and connects even the seemingly smallest of things that are troubling me...that are of great emotion and fear to me. God loves me on a level I can't understand right now. He somehow knows me personally. He somehow hears and answers and guides me through every prayer and wish and doubt and need. And somehow Jesus Christ has felt every single sorrow and deep pain and loneliness of my heart. He is real. They are real, I know for sure. And all I can think to do is to learn of them, try to draw closer to them through obedience, which can be a daily struggle and success, to try my best to teach my children where to look for a remission of their sins, and to forgive and ask forgiveness of my partner each day. These things do not all come easily or naturally to me. But I feel I can do better with the knowledge I gain from gospel study and worship of God and the support I feel from the Savior. 

Happy Easter, today. I have found peace tonight and life, though somtimes seemingly dark, is bright and beautiful. 

Touched me so much in church today

"Experiencing the atonement for ourselves in our lives is a prerequisite for heartfelt service." -Elder Bednar

I have experienced the Atonement. And so now I must go and serve my fellowmen. 

An after life

'sometimes when I am alone I go into my bedroom and take off my shoes and look at my feet and think, "is it him?"'

-David Grossman, Falling out of Time.

This man is so insightful and has so much pain, wisdom, healing behind his words, yet he says he is a nonbeliever and that he cannot draw comfort from the idea of an afterlife. I can't understand this. 

Today at church I led the lesson in Mia Maids (young women ages 14-15) on the subject of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I felt deeply that I know that this is real- that our Savior is Jesus Christ and that he atoned and suffered for us and felt every pain, embarrassment, loneliness, and hurt from sin that we have and will feel. Then he sacrificed his life for us but after 3 days rose from the dead, his spirit and body reunited for forever. I know he did this and that we will also be resurrected someday, after we leave this world, and our bodies will be perfect. I know this means I will live forever with my family and friends if I am faithful. I know this means my Savior and Heavenly Father love me immensely. I know that I want to be more unselfish, more serving, more grateful, as Christ is. I find much hope in the thought of the life after this one. 

Stripes family!! (I think it's all we own)

sat

I just love mornings when you wake up and there isn't a whole lot planned for the day and you get a chance to remember how much you're in love with your spouse you that you're so happy and that these days are just as carefree as the beginning of your marriage in Provo when you'd ride bikes everywhere. You put on a record and even take a walk to the store just to get orange juice.

It shouldn't be hard

As I was singing primary songs to Freddie this morning (in my gorgeous falsetto voice--yikes!!!!), I found the following song. The words touched me (aka made me cry--I'm a mother!!) They are so true, so simple. (I know, I'm a nerd.)


"It shouldn’t be hard to sit very still
And think about Jesus, his cross on the hill,
And all that he suffered and did for me;
It shouldn’t be hard to sit quietly.
It shouldn’t be hard, even though I am small,
To think about Jesus, not hard at all.
I think of the miles he walked in the dust,
And children he helped to love and to trust;
It shouldn’t be hard to sit tall in my seat,
To listen politely, to quiet my feet.
It shouldn’t be hard, even though I am small,

To think about Jesus, not hard at all.