Machy-Machy Easter

Nothing makes me want to blog more than clipping my nails and having a cup of Clover coffee. i love the way my fingertips feel on the keys.. ahh it's the little things. My sweet husband who has been working so hard at doing school every free moment and watching Luce when i'm exhausted, went to The Good Cherry this morning to finish some stuff up. He called on the way home to check on me and brought me a cup of Clover. I love you sweetie!

So here's our Easter pictures. I got the idea to make Lucy and i matching shirts to wear to church. I have been so lazy lately i didn't think i would actually get around to it. But lo and behold, since i picked an easy pattern idea. I got it from the pillowcase dress idea, and added some pockets. It was super easy. Course mine looks more like a moo-moo than a shirt but hey i'm pregnant right so who cares?? Lucy just looks adorable. Brian loved the way her dress looked on her.
She has been sick with a cold and fever for a few days so she wasn't extra happy yesterday morning.





Brian and i have been talking about Easter a lot this Lenten season and really wanting it to be a special time. We both grew up in the church hearing about "Jesus died on the cross for your sins". As wonderful as it was to grow up in family's that taught us that, you just become callused to hearing about it. I was just hating the fact that Easter wasn't really affecting me as i hoped. I was longing for feelings of thanksgiving, awe, humility and all that goes with understanding that - Jesus really did die on the cross for my sins and for my soul! We went to the Tenebrae service at Grace which was amazing. A very quiet, dark service. Like a memorial for Jesus reading thru the passion story.

We had decided to watch The Passion, which has got to be the hardest movies to watch. Brian and i aren't ones to watch a graphic violent film unaffected. But this was something we chose to watch, trying not to shut our eyes the entire time.

I had prayed earlier Saturday that He would impress on me the importance of Jesus death and give me a sense of thanksgiving for it. HE totally came thru for me while we were watching the movie. I'm sure the pregnancy hormones were helping too, but i couldn't stop crying the entire time. The strongest sense i had was just deep sadness that this horrible death of precious Jesus was truly the ONLY WAY for us to have life. My awareness, respect & connection with Mary was so different this time, because it was the first time we had seen it since Lucy was born and i was totally there with Her. Man, that actress that plays Mary is soo amazing. I will never see Mary any other way.. I am so thankful that Mel Gibson chose to make that movie. Beside the fact that it is the story of our faith, it is really well done. I want to encourage you, if you were also having trouble this Easter to "get into the season" to watch this movie. Trust me i was praying to Jesus to help me get thru the movie the entire time and it is NOT FUN. but the blessings i received from watching it were so worth while! There is this part in the beginning that keeps sticking in my mind. He's in the garden praying and Satan is saying stuff like, "do you really think this will work? you really think you can save their souls?" He was not just afraid of what would happen to him, he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

***BEFORE YOU WATCH THE FOLLOWING VIDEO...We had an art exhibit at our church about Easter and i wanted so badly to participate. The only thing that kept coming to mind was the U2 song - Until the end of the world. It was written about Judas betrayal. I wanted to do something with it but couldn't think of what. Someone has dubbed it over clips of The Passion movie and it is AMAZING. I spent the entire 4 min crying.. I'm posting it here but i'm warning you, don't hit play until you are ready. If you have a queasy stomach (pregnant friends) don't watch it. If you haven't seen the movie and are wondering if you should, Candace, you may not want to start with this. If you love U2 and have seen the movie, say a quick prayer to make your heart ready. It may even help you see Judas in a different way - then hit play.



Because Brian and i worked hard to prepare our hearts for long awaited Easter Sunday, we both enjoyed the most amazing Easter we ever have. He actually went to a sunrise service then we went to our church, Grace Ev Free. The songs that we sang made me weep the entire service and the joy i felt knowing that Jesus had answered my prayer with establishing the importance of His sacrifice in my heart was so special. We have this tradition of flowering the cross. It was so beautiful. Everyone brings flowers and we are dismissed by rows to put our flowers on the cross. This is the best picture we got. Lighting isn't best.

If you have gotten this far, thanks so much for reading my Easter journey. I will treasure this year in my heart and hope every year i will reflect on His death and resurrection in a new way. Easter is so important.