We had a great Easter. Saturday, Cutie gave a squeal of excitement when I came home from the mall with a box for her. Inside it were some shiny white dress shoes with a bit of a heel. She proceeded to put them on and do a little tap dance on the tile floor. Bud and Ant were up before 5:00 a.m. Sunday to check out their baskets. Bud got some binoculars and Ant got the latest Magic Treehouse book. Cutie woke up at 7:00 to find her Dora the Explorer ball set.
Heidi skipped the singles' branch and came to Sacrament Meeting with our family. I'm a secretary in the Primary and had stuff to do in the hallway the second hour, but I got to sit down and listen to the sharing time in the third hour. Of course, the subject was the true meaning of Easter. The Spirit really touches me when I think of Jesus' talk with Mary by the sepulchre. I can imagine that in a split second her emotions went from fierce mourning to rejoicing when He said her name.
After church we colored eggs, prepared some food, then we went to another one of my sisters' house for lunch. Five of the six siblings were there with two spouses and ten children. My parents couldn't make it this year.
We came home in time to get things ready for dinner with Terry's family. He was so helpful as he made Jerusalem charoset and a salad. Grandma and Grandpa and Terry's sister and her husband came with gifts and candy for the kids (Ant, Bud, and Cutie are the only grandkids on Terry's side of the family). For the first time in about eight years I didn't feel stressed about anything while having a function at my home--maybe because I'm learning to ask for help.
When I was a child, we did all the Easter Bunny, baskets, eggs, etc. on Saturday. Sunday was reserved to focus on the Lord. Terry's father was born Jewish and his mom was born Catholic, but neither practiced or talked about their religions. Easter and Christmas were celebrated, but Jesus really wasn't a part of it. After we were married nine years ago we both made adjustments. To him, having the Easter Bunny come on Saturday was like going trick-or-treating on October 30th (which we do if Halloween is on Sunday), or opening all the presents on Christmas Eve (which, I understand, some families do). Anyway, the idea just didn't make sense to him. We decided to try some activities in the book A Christ-Centered Easter that have been really nice to do throughout the week before. We have even tried doing a Passover seder to learn more about the kids' 1/4 Jewish heritage. We now do all the fluffy bunny stuff on Sunday morning which I like because it makes the Easter Bunny just a little part of a big special day instead of being the main focus of a day by itself.
Terry and I establish our family traditions as we go--some we combine, some we leave out, some we modify, and some we create. What are some adjustments you have made as you establish your family traditions.
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