Easter Sunday Thoughts

Easter morning, the world is quiet and everyone is at peace in bed...this is not as it should be. I am expected to be at the church to warm up the vocal cords at 8:15 a.m. and it is now 7:45 and NO ONE is awake except for me. This really isn't that big of a deal since the rest of the family doesn't need to be at church until 9:00 a.m. My let down about no one being awake is really about the fact that my children will be waking up to their Easter egg trail and I will not be around! This saddens me because I have just a little time left to love, cuddle, photograph and record these memories before Kyler will be going to college. I hoped that Matt (who woke up right before I left for church,) would either take pictures or ask the kids to wait until we got home from church. Not to happen- I missed the big unveiling... Kenna loved her Pool Chair, Kyler loved his Pool basketball set and Matt well, he left our Easter Trail for me to unveil. It was strategically hidden under our bed covers. I had the stuff the Easter Bunny packed (me,) which was just candy and then a secret surprise (from maybe the Easter Bunny's husband?) a really cool bird feeder that squirrels can't get into but the sweet birdies can. Complete this bird feeder with seed and up it went in 5 seconds flat in the backyard where everyone can see it. (this was all happened after church.)

Our sweet small choir sang four songs in celebration of The Savior's life and sacrifice for our redemption during our Easter service. One of the songs has touched my heart over the last few months and has really affected my testimony. It's entitled "This is the Christ" it is featured in the LDS church production the "Testaments" the lyrics are written by James E. Faust and it is just a super special song. For the longest time there was only me as a soprano practicing these songs and no altos (me, Linda [who sings tenor] Netty [who signs and doesn't sing] and a few men singing tenor and bass,) basically it was soprano solo from Sandi time in the upper registers and I felt as if my dear sweet grandma Field was singing from Heaven with me the whole time.  Not to brag but I was reaching notes I had never been able to reach on my own and wasn't afraid to belt it out like I normally had. These practices have really helped build my appreciation for the gifts and talents I have been given by my heavenly father!  Last Wednesday when additional voices were added the spirit wasn't speaking to me as much. I don't know if I was trying too hard to listen and wasn't really "hearing" or the additional voices drowned out what the heavenly voices were singing. I really missed those Heavenly voices until today when they came back and spoke to my soul again.

The world feels right as I sit outside writing this post. The Jasmine hangs heavy on our wooden fence and it's perfume is wafting through the breeze while birds sing melodies that not even the best opera singer could touch.

We have been blessed to be given the beauty of this planet and yet, the evils that twinge the beauty are never far away when you flip on the t.v. switch. we can choose to be ignorant of the horrors that happen in the world just by not reading a paper, watching t.v. or powering up my computer; but we need to live in the world and all its complexities because that is what we have been given..

Some of this foulness is shown in the bible where the knowledge I gained of so many didn't understand or were envious of the goodness of Jesus Christ. This has led me eventually to the thought that even though he was crucified on a cross, went through mental anguish and pain the joyous news that he had risen on the third day rang out among his followers, because of this act of love we are able to live eternally with our mortal families and our Heavenly families someday if we but follow his example of goodness.
Without our Elder brother Jesus consenting in the Pre-existence to come to this earth and to suffer for our sins no matter how big or small those sins will be without an expected retribution is to me the biggest gift of all- better than the birds, the flowers, the health or happiness that we are naturally blessed with. His sacrifice for us is unfathomable but so extremely thought provoking that I can't aptly express my gratitude in words.

Without the bad in the world how do we know what is the good, pure and beautiful? This is the testimony that I have received this day. I am thankful it has come to me on a beautiful Easter day like today. If I could sing to each of you the above video is what I would be singing.