Easter Reflections

As I looked back on our 2008 Easter, I found myself at first longing for that big extended family easter dinner. Admittedly, I had feelings of loneliness creeping up on Sunday without our extended family and friends around us. But as I reflect on it, I have learned something very important.

Before I go into that, here's a picture of us that morning. We taught the kids that this is the most special day ever and so out of respect for God and in celebration of such a special day, we all try to look our best.


After a WONDERFUL church service, we came home and worked on making sticky buns together. We rolled out the dough, and the kids helped spread butter on it, brown sugar, cinnamon, and here's Vince putting on the pecans. It was so much fun that the kids asked if we could make them every Sunday. (I think it had something to do with the taste, too.)


They turned out great. I was most pleased with the bread dough considering it was my first successful homemade whole wheat bread dough. For my mom, sisters, and brothers, it tasted like a healthy version of monkey bread! (Still a little too sweet for me though.)

Here's our dinner. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of the "meatloaf". I loved the mushroom gravy though. Pete (of course) said he really liked it and brought the leftovers with him to work today. Gabie loved the kale and olive oil mashed potatoes (that must be a trait that runs in my side of the family!) But everything turned out just as it was supposed to, including. . .


The upside-down caramelized apple cake. Topped off with a scoop of ice cream, it was moist in the middle and caramelly on the top. Pete didn't save enough room for it after the "meatloaf," but he tried it later and loved it. I cut the amount of sugar in half that the recipe called for in the cake batter and you would never know the difference! Our day still included a lot of sweets, which we told the kids that it's okay on that day because it's the sweetest day of the year!



Now, for my easter reflections. This year, spiritually, proved to be the best easter ever. Without the buzz and chaos of family get-togethers, I was able to focus solely on Christ and what he did for us. I spent all my time in the kitchen reflecting on the magnitude of what He did and turned to Him in my loneliness. Even though in prior years we went to church before going to an easter get-together, that hour or two wasn't enough time to reflect on these things. I think it was a matter of having the whole day to cut out the chaos and try to wrap my brain around the supernatural things that took place solely out of God's love for us that resurrection day. From this, I can see why maintaing the Sabbath isn't just about going to church on Sundays and then going about the rest of our day as usual. Those days, in their entirety, should be used as a day of reflection without chaos or obligations to other things like sports. Just thought I'd share a little bit about what God revealed to me while my mind wasn't occupied with other things! Hope this Easter revealed some of God's wisdom to "y'all"! (I'm not really saying that word yet.)