Easter Weekend 2011

This was our first holiday without our dear Gran. I knew it was going to be tough. I asked my parents if they might want to come to our house this year. My Dad's Birthday was Friday and I wanted to do a combined birthday/Easter celebration. Beth couldn't come home (and we couldn't go to Nashville) because she extremely busy trying to finish her second semester at Vandy. We really missed her.

My parents got to my house around 4:30 Saturday night. I cooked enchiladas, salad, corn on the cob, and rice as my Dad's special birthday dinner. We also had a Mrs. Smith's apple pie ;). Dad opened a few presents from us. Then mom and I headed to Conway to do a little shopping. We looked at plants and pots for new plants. We actually didn't buy anything. Then we headed home and watched The King's Speech with Dad and Dane. We all enjoyed the movie.

This morning we celebrated Easter sunrise at 7am with our church. Dane read from Isaiah 53 and sang spoke about the power of prophecy and God's plan for redemption. We went home and took a nap between services. Then we returned for Easter worship at 11am. We read the story of the resurrection in the book of Matthew. The sermon was a reminder of the power of the resurrection to restore us to a new life. The closing scripture was Colossions 3:1-4

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him glory.

I am so thankful for my family and my church family. I know that my Gran is rejoicing in heaven today. I am thankful for all of the Easters that I had with her. Of course, I would love to have more. But then I remember that one day I will. After our Easter service we went to Michelangelo's for the Easter brunch. It was delicious. The atmosphere was very calm and we had breakfast food and pasta food. I am so thankful that I got to celebrate Easter with my husband and my parents.

I recently made some copies of some great pictures of Gran. The one below is a picture of Gran with mom and Julie when they were very young. The last time that I visited with Gran at her home (only one week before she went into the hospital) we looked through her old photo albums and I told her how much I loved this photo. The picture says Feb 1967 on the back. I wanted to get a special frame to put it in. I found this one at the Kitchen Store. Surely we are blessed. Blessed to have such a wonderful Gran to love us and teach us about the love of Christ.

Missing Gran

There is no other way to describe the way I feel these days other than I just simply miss my Gran. She has been in heaven for 2 and a half weeks now. In some it seems like yesterday because it is so vivid in my mind and in other ways it seems like I haven't seen her in a very long time. While talking to one of my friends about Gran I used the word "exceptional" to describe her. My friend quickly said that she had recently used the exact same word.

She wasn't like other people. She was very special. She loved me for who I am and she challenged and encouraged me every way. Many people have said to me (my mom included) that I will be surprised at the things that bring me back to her throughout my life. Right now I am surprised at the holes in my life. We talked on the phone almost every day. I have about a hundred voicemails on my phone that she has left me. I miss her sweet hug. I miss her voice and her way with words.

I wanted to post because Easter is tomorrow and I have been wondering what Easter in heaven is like. Maybe every day in heaven is Easter. Some people think that people in heaven can see or have some awareness of life on earth. I really dont know what I think. But if they do, I think Gran would love to see people worshiping all over the earth. She loved Easter. Well.. she loved Jesus. We are having a sunrise service at our church and I think it will be very special for me because she loved her church's sunrise service. She always thought it was beautiful. Also, the morning that she left the earth we witnessed maybe the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. Mom, Julie, and I stayed the night with her in her hospital room. We were very tired but when the sun came up we all noted how pretty it was. We also loved it when we could see the warm sun on Gran's face. She loved the sunshine.

When we were little we always celebrated Easter with lunch at Gran's after church followed by the traditional Easter egg hunt. Gran loved a Easter egg hunt. She remembered the tradition from her own childhood.

Oh how we miss her.