Happy Easter! We've had a great weekend here. We've had lots of fun hunting eggs, playing outside, making a cake (and licking the icing) and enjoying the weekend. Through it all, we've been telling and retelling and retelling that wonderful story that makes it all mean something, the Easter Story. We've read it, watched it on video, talked about it, and used Hannah's "Ressurection Eggs" she made at church last week to tell the story over and over. And honestly, it's been wonderful and tough at the same time. Wonderful to see the girls so interested and excited about the story. Mostly Hannah..Sadie's still a bit young. But Hannah at 3 would get excited and say "yeah, Jesus is alive". That's kind of where Sadie's at. Now though, Hannah can tell you the whole story..from the entry into Jerusalem through the last supper, Judas' betrayal of Jesus, praying in the garden, the crucifixtion, the tomb, the women coming to find the tomb empty the next morning...I mean..she can basically do it all. And it's great. But tough too..to see the story fresh through her eyes. She's had so many questions: why did they kill Jesus? Why did Jesus have to die? Didn't it hurt? Did he cry? Did he scream? Was Jesus scared? Was the cross heavy? Why didn't God help him? Why did Judas "trade" (betray) Jesus for money? That was not nice!! Why didn't the people who killed Jesus have to go to jail? What is sin? (umm..have you ever tried to explain that to a 5 year old? not so easy..) But Jesus didn't do anything wrong!! Her sense of the injustice of it all was obvious in her tone of voice and in her facial expressions. She would randomly ask these questions throughout the week (usually a bunch at once, then would go off to play and come back with some more later). Sometimes I didn't know if we'd ever get to Sunday and the ressurection! She was stuck in the stories of the week..in the darkness and the questions and the not understanding. I guess that's how the disciples felt too. I found myself wanting to hurry her along to Easter..to the ressurection..brush off some of the questions and let's get to the good part! But she would have none of that! So, we talked and talked and I answered the best I could those tough questions over and over. I don't know exactly how much she comprehended..I don't know how satisfying my answers were..and that's okay. I'm proud of her for asking the questions, and staying with it. For seeking an understanding even when it wasn't easy. And she helped me to view the story again with a fresh sense of awe, and mystery, and compassion, and sadness, and wonder, and finally..joy. Because in the end, He is RISEN!
(Hannah found these branches from a bush I trimmed on the driveway today. She decided to pretend they were palm branches and was waving them around shouting "HOSANNAH!")
And that makes all the difference in the world. So today, we remembered and celebrated that Jesus is Alive! Happy Easter!
(Hannah found these branches from a bush I trimmed on the driveway today. She decided to pretend they were palm branches and was waving them around shouting "HOSANNAH!")
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