Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Easter's simple message

I love spring, which you probably noticed, since this is my third post about it. One of the things I love about spring is Easter. I love all the pastel colors and the blooming flowers. I love the sky full of clouds and the off-and-on rain that keeps everything so green. I love buying new dresses and white shoes for the little girls (on the years that we are organized enough to do that). I love coloring Easter eggs (although I do not love it when the dye is spilled all over the table, which happens pretty much every year.) I love Easter egg hunts and Easter baskets and getting together with family for dinner and going to church where we often hear the story of the Resurrection during all three meetings. I love pulling out the plastic egg kit as a family with the symbols and scriptures that tell the Easter story.
I especially love that Easter can be so simple. We don't have to give gifts or make things too complicated. We seem to simplify more and more as the years go by. One year, we forgot to get Easter grass for the baskets, so we shredded green paper. (It worked and was a lot easier to clean up!) Another year, we didn't do baskets at all, just a big egg hunt. Many years, we have to forgo this or that tradition due to lack of time. But we never miss out on the feeling of new life and (mostly) happy children and family and hope that winter is over and everything is alive again. I love Easter's message, and it's feeling comes through for me in all the things we do to celebrate. That message is simple, yet infinitely profound, and even the youngest child can feel it: He lives!

4 comments:

Rich said...

Easter is an awesome time. I have to say I'm even a pretty good sport about the egg coloring even when Khristine has us color 2-4 dozen eggs (my opinion was let's keep it under a dozen but that was quickly voted out). I do hate the Easter grass, so I'm always quick to forget buying any. But other than those two items, who can be sad about remembering the Savior's resurrection while eating jelly beans?

nevadanista said...

Lovely message :) Your pics reminded me of springtime on Table Mountain near Oroville.

Our Family said...

That is what the pictures are from. Good call, Rachel!!

Jessica said...

thanks for the reminder of EAster. WE don't have a lot of traditions yet, probably because the kids are still so small, but that was a good reminder to hear that no matter what the tradition is, even if you have one or not, the message of Easter is the same and the feeling it brings is undeniable. thanks.