{simple as that}

i am like a kid.

i still get giddy about Easter. perhaps it's the chocolate, the egg coloring, the family gatherings or the deviled eggs. i really seem to adore all of these things.

this year in particular i have a strong desire to color every single egg i see a pretty shade of blue.

i would also like to devour every milky way bunny in my path. yum.

but really and truly what it is i love most about Easter is the time to recall the amazing sacrifice made on my behalf. the resurrection of our Father's Son, Jesus Christ. the blessing, the miracle and the perfect example of love and selflessness.

particularly it seems that with the recent loss of so many loved ones, i find an overwhelming comfort in the remembrance of this sacred event.

i am so grateful for the knowledge i have of life beyond the grave.

“He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” John 11:25–26

i grew up in a home where the Easter bunny made his yearly visits. but that was never what our day circled around.

one year i recall being given a large pink plastic egg. as a child you can only imagine how many jelly beans and chocolates will fit into such an egg. that may have been where my thoughts were as i opened it and found myself staring at a completely empty egg. in that moment i was taught a lesson that i will always cherish.

the empty egg signified the empty tomb on that first Easter morning. Luke wrote of the angels who inquired, “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.” He triumphed over death and over the grave. and because of His sacrifice on the cross at Calgary, death has no power over us.

my boys acquired a new book this past month. in it, a child asks the question "what is Easter?" he makes a list of all the wonderful things that correspond with the holiday such as parades, new Sunday clothes, Easter egg hunts and soft fuzzy animals.

and then he is told the story of Christ.

at the end he comes to this resolution:

Okay now I get it.

The Easter Bunny is okay,
And Easter eggs are fun.
But Easter's not about that stuff.

It's all about God's son.

a perfect and simple explanation for my wee ones.

so while i love Easter festivities as much as the next person, i will never let those things outshine the reason we celebrate.

simple as that.

{an article i love}