HaPpY EaStEr!

Easter!  First thing in the morning, they found their baskets.  Lots of sugar induced hyper activity followed!  hahaha.  

 So we stayed busy by coloring eggs!  They took it very seriously!

And then before church, we had an egg hunt in the yard.  (Egg hunts in AZ are not necessarily difficult, they are more about being stealthy... and cautious!  hahaha.)  But they loved it anyway!

And then there was the attempt at a cute picture of the 3 of them together!  ...At least no one was crying!  Right?  Right!  :)  I love my little family, so VERY VERY much!

The past couple of months, I have found myself thinking a lot about Mary.  Not to take away from what Christ did for us as our Savior, but what she must have gone through being his mother.  What who He was and what He did must have meant to her!  


Our RS had the opportunity to hear an amazing lady (from our ward) speak at an activity called "You Are Incredible".  She spoke with an amazing spirit, lots of tears and laughs!  But completely and directly to my heart!  She spoke a little bit about Mary, and how she must have felt when she realized they had lost Jesus when he was a boy. The panic and fear.  And making the long trek back to find him... in the temple.  But that we know, because she was obviously a important part of his life, that she didn't punish herself forever because of one mistake.  She was not expected to be perfect.  She taught us to trust the faith the Lord has in us.  That we are where we are for a reason and that the children we have are specifically meant to be ours.  That spoke to me in a very deep, heart-wrenching way.  


I don't always feel like a good mom, in fact I rarely feel like a good mom!  And I have questioned a million times that I am the best mom for my children!  But then I think of Mary.  What must have seemed like an impossible request, to be the mother of the Son of God.  How easily doubt and fear could have been her enemy and even her demise.  How she knew that part of being His mother would mean inevitably watching Him die.  And yet, what a blessing it must have been.  To converse with angels, to bear the Savior of the world, to watch Him grow and learn from Him, and to witness His sacrifice for all.  And His Resurrection.


She was on my mind a lot this year as we celebrated this Easter season.  Because she was His mother. I am humbled to think of the love she must of had for Him as His mother.  I wonder if she knew then the magnitude of what He would mean to the world so many hundreds of years later.  And that because of Him, I am able to be more than I ever could be on my own.  Better than I ever could be on my own.  Forgiven.  Saved.  Redeemed.  Changed.  


I am so grateful for my Savior and for His perfect example.  And for a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so much and entrusted me with a few of His precious children.  I'm grateful for the opportunities He gives me to learn and grow and stretch, even when I don't want to!  And I'm grateful for Mary, and for her example of strength and faith and humility.  And I am endlessly grateful for the Atonement!  For the strength and perspective it gives me.  But especially for the opportunity it gives me to be with these people I love so much forever! 


HAPPY EASTER!