Easter 2013

It’s been a big week and today is an important day for our family.  It’s my dad’s birthday.  Today also marks the day that Mike’s mom died.  Yesterday was Easter.  We had a two and a half hour baseball practice on Saturday…I am  pooped!

 

 It’s been a FULL few days – weeks, actually.  I haven’t cleaned the house in…who knows how long.  Two weeks ago I was sick, right after that we were gone all weekend for an Engaged Encounter retreat.  Then last week was crazy nuts with basketball, baseball, a playdate, I had ladies’ Bunco night and Holy Week services.  I’m ready for summer vacation!!  We only have five more days until Spring break though, so at least that’s coming.  Last night, after getting home from Easter dinner at my parents’, I checked the calendar to see what this week has in store.  I was elated that we only have one thing on each day.  This morning it was just my 6am run with Andrea and tomorrow is Spin class at the gym.  Is it strange that I can’t WAIT to clean this house and do some serious yard work (yet at the same time all I really want to do is nap also)?  The place is a pit though so any picking up will be a vast improvement.

 

We did have a lovely Easter yesterday.  The day was GORGEOUS and super warm – 70 (basically bikini weather for Seattle)!  The cherry tree in front of our house is in full bloom and the daffodil bulbs that I planted in the fall are up and perkily blooming.  We had a good little photo shoot before heading to noon Mass where, thankfully, we were able to get seats without arriving TOO early.  We were asked by one of the ushers to bring up the gifts which we’ve done a few times but felt even more special to get to do on Easter Sunday.  Sitting in front of us during Mass was a family with two boys and a girl.  The boys looked to be about the same age difference as ours but older (probably 14 and 12ish), and then the youngest – the girl – is maybe 10 or 11…and obviously going through Chemo.  She had a nasal feeding tube and a pretty floral scarf covering what little wisps were left of her hair.  My heart broke for them…Especially any time I saw the mother look down at her daughter and put her arm around her little girl’s thin shoulders.  After Communion, the music group sang “Lord, Prepare me to be a Sanctuary.”  That song always gets me, but one of the lines in the chorus: “And with thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary, for you,” really hit me.  I could see this poor mother in front of me as she repeatedly wiped tears off her face.  I don’t know these people and even if I did, there’s nothing that I could say to ease the pain they’re experiencing.  I wanted to wrap this stranger – this fellow mom – in a tight hug and cry with her.  In the end, all I could do was look at my three healthy children and say prayer after prayer of Thanksgiving.  Then I’d look at this family in front of us and pray and plead and hope that that’s enough.