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March 31, 2013
This week has been one of contemplation. On Monday Matt and I did an Easter Egg lesson for our Singles Ward FHE. This lesson was given to me as a missionary and i have used it during Easter time every year since. Basically it is a basket of numbered plastic eggs. Each egg has a little object that helps tell the story of the saviors atonement and resurrection. There are scriptures that go along with the objects, and just last year i searched lds.org and found lots of quotes from prophets to add to the experience. Because we are not in Utah with family celebrating Easter this year, for me it was a great reminder of the times my family had together in Orderville with Grandpa, Grandma, and all the cousins, aunts and uncles. The fun Easter egg hunts traditionally in the orchard and sometimes because of weather in the church basement. What great memories! And we can't leave out the awesome egg rolling tradition! We take the hard boiled eggs that we colored to the sand dunes and make fun tracks for the eggs to roll down! Some years we would spend lots of time making jumps and tunnels and lots of twisting and stuff to make the tracks even more awesome for the eggs to roll down! Many of my friends have never heard of that tradition, however i found on Wikipedia that it is a tradition that goes back to our roots of family history in our European ancestry! Cool to think we still do this tradition just as they did!
Last night I attended a Catholic Easter Vigil Mass. It was over two and a half hours!!! I will admit that it was a very interesting experience and i understand a lot more about my Catholic friends and their beliefs, but i must admit that even though the music was spectacular and the beauty of the building was wonderful, the messages and ceremony were very empty to me. They skipped out on all the wonderful things that we as LDS remember and celebrate with the Resurrection. Yes the tomb was empty and yes it was because of the love of the Savior, but what about Eternal Life? Not just for him but for us as well? What about the Plan of Salvation that teaches because of His suffering and Atoning and Resurrection the gate is opened for ALL of mankind to have the ability to become even as God is? There is so much more to the Resurrection than just an empty tomb....
My thoughts this morning have been of Grandma Palmer... This Easter more than any other in my life has truly testified to me of the personal effect the Resurrection has on my life. Because of the Saviors love and resurrection WE CAN AND WILL SEE GRANDMA AGAIN! What a miracle the resurrection is! And how amazing that Grandma's spirit is still with us and influencing us and teaching us even from the grave.
What a wonderful parallel the Savior's Resurrection is to each of our own. When the Savior died He taught His gospel and prepared the righteous for when He would open the gates between paradise and prison and His teachings would be for all! Grandma is in the Spirit World right now teaching that Gospel too! And the day of her Resurrection will come too, just as it did for the Savior.
We are so blessed to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. It shapes and molds my life in the way that is best for me because i know Heavenly Father is in charge and wants the best for me and for all of us.
I wish all of you, my family and friends, a wonderful Easter! and i hope you can join me in celebrating not only the amazing miracle of the Savior's Atonement and Resurrection, but also joining me in thanking Him and our Heavenly Father for making it possible to see my dear Grandmother, and others we have lost along the way, again someday.
God Bless!
This week has been one of contemplation. On Monday Matt and I did an Easter Egg lesson for our Singles Ward FHE. This lesson was given to me as a missionary and i have used it during Easter time every year since. Basically it is a basket of numbered plastic eggs. Each egg has a little object that helps tell the story of the saviors atonement and resurrection. There are scriptures that go along with the objects, and just last year i searched lds.org and found lots of quotes from prophets to add to the experience. Because we are not in Utah with family celebrating Easter this year, for me it was a great reminder of the times my family had together in Orderville with Grandpa, Grandma, and all the cousins, aunts and uncles. The fun Easter egg hunts traditionally in the orchard and sometimes because of weather in the church basement. What great memories! And we can't leave out the awesome egg rolling tradition! We take the hard boiled eggs that we colored to the sand dunes and make fun tracks for the eggs to roll down! Some years we would spend lots of time making jumps and tunnels and lots of twisting and stuff to make the tracks even more awesome for the eggs to roll down! Many of my friends have never heard of that tradition, however i found on Wikipedia that it is a tradition that goes back to our roots of family history in our European ancestry! Cool to think we still do this tradition just as they did!
Last night I attended a Catholic Easter Vigil Mass. It was over two and a half hours!!! I will admit that it was a very interesting experience and i understand a lot more about my Catholic friends and their beliefs, but i must admit that even though the music was spectacular and the beauty of the building was wonderful, the messages and ceremony were very empty to me. They skipped out on all the wonderful things that we as LDS remember and celebrate with the Resurrection. Yes the tomb was empty and yes it was because of the love of the Savior, but what about Eternal Life? Not just for him but for us as well? What about the Plan of Salvation that teaches because of His suffering and Atoning and Resurrection the gate is opened for ALL of mankind to have the ability to become even as God is? There is so much more to the Resurrection than just an empty tomb....
My thoughts this morning have been of Grandma Palmer... This Easter more than any other in my life has truly testified to me of the personal effect the Resurrection has on my life. Because of the Saviors love and resurrection WE CAN AND WILL SEE GRANDMA AGAIN! What a miracle the resurrection is! And how amazing that Grandma's spirit is still with us and influencing us and teaching us even from the grave.
What a wonderful parallel the Savior's Resurrection is to each of our own. When the Savior died He taught His gospel and prepared the righteous for when He would open the gates between paradise and prison and His teachings would be for all! Grandma is in the Spirit World right now teaching that Gospel too! And the day of her Resurrection will come too, just as it did for the Savior.
We are so blessed to have the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. It shapes and molds my life in the way that is best for me because i know Heavenly Father is in charge and wants the best for me and for all of us.
I wish all of you, my family and friends, a wonderful Easter! and i hope you can join me in celebrating not only the amazing miracle of the Savior's Atonement and Resurrection, but also joining me in thanking Him and our Heavenly Father for making it possible to see my dear Grandmother, and others we have lost along the way, again someday.
God Bless!
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