Beauty for Ashes

For years I have loved this section from Isaiah 61.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty unto the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;...to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

I remember reading it, among other scriptures, to Cameron hours after my cancer was diagnosed. Even in the midst of such incredible trauma, I had perfect faith that Christ could and would one day turn our grief into joy. That is why we rejoice every day, but especially at Easter. He knows us, He knows what we need, and His plan is perfect. No matter what happens to us, He can turn it for our good.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God~Romans 8:28

As the months following my cancer and eye removal crawled slowly past, I would look mournfully at old pictures and think, "I used to have two eyes."

My heart was broken. I knew that Christ heals broken hearts. But I wasn't quite sure how He would do that for me in this instance.

And then, just as the sunrise peeks slowly over the horizon, hope and joy crept into my heart as the first Easter following my cancer approached. I realized in a brand new way that the joy of that first Easter morning was in the news that He had risen. And because He did, each of us will, too. And when I do, I will have two eyes again.

Up to that point in my conversion I had rejoiced in the Savior's ability to redeem me from my sins, heartaches, sorrows, and disappointments. Suddenly, I was rejoicing in Christ's gift of resurrection. He lives and one day each of us will, too.

He is risen!

Palm Sunday Recap

Last night we did our annual Palm Sunday re-enactment--we threw pillows and towels on the floor and Cameron starred in his annual role as the donkey. Jake and Abby both enjoyed it all.

Unfortunately, Grace decided it was too close to bedtime and she wasn't interested in biblical re-enactments.

Afterwards we read and discussed Luke 19:37-40. Then we watched this little one-minute clip portraying Christ's triumphal entry.

I have to say, I've known about the Church producing all these Bible story videos the last couple years, but I haven't watched very many of them. Now I'm wondering why I haven't been using them sooner as a way to bring Bible stories to life for our kids. Tomorrow we will probably watch this one about Christ cleansing the temple. (Technically, it is portraying the story from John 2, instead of the event from the last week of Christ's life. But we'll probably watch it anyway.) We will probably also check out this one about the Last Supper, this one of Christ being placed in the tomb, and this one for Easter morning. (They also have a few about Christ suffering in Gethsemane, being brought before Pilate, and the scourging and crucifixion. But as of last year video portrayals of the crucifixion and such were pretty overwhelming and scary for our kids. So we'll save those for another year.)

Thus begins our countdown to Easter. Boy am I excited. Happy Holy Week!

Of Babies and Blanket Forts

Jacob: "I'm glad we're having more babies, Mom."

Me: "Really? Why is that?"

Jacob: "So we will have more mattresses so I can build bigger forts."

Me: "I'm glad this is all working out so nicely for you."

Planning a Christ-Centered Easter

I've mentioned before that I am a holiday worrier and I am passionate about building worthwhile family traditions. Apparently I've been working to perfect this trait for a long time. Many years ago, long before Cameron or any of our kids were in my life, I found this book at a book store and snatched it up in a heartbeat.

It is a useful little book full of ideas for keeping Easter centered on Christ. Don't get me wrong--I think dying Easter eggs is fun, and I enjoy Cadbury and Russell Stover. But I want our kids to understand that we rejoice at Easter because of Jesus Christ, not chocolate.

Our Easter traditions are in a constant state of evolution. As a general rule, we enjoy spending the week leading up to Easter focusing on what Christ did each day in the week before the first Easter. Cameron and I brainstormed and mapped out a rough plan a couple weeks ago. Then we held a little family council with the kids where we chose an Easter song from the Children's Songbook that we want to learn over the next couple of weeks. Our goal is to practice the song each night as part of our family scripture study. Then for the week of Easter here is our plan:

On Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Easter), we always re-enact Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Cameron is always the donkey, and each child takes a turn riding on him while the rest of us wave "palm branches" (usually green towels) and shout Hosanna. We like to explain the story to the kids, and I am especially fond of the version in Luke 19--I love talking to the kids about how the stones would have cried out in joy at Christ's arrival.

On Monday we discuss how Christ cleansed the temple. I love the version from Matthew 21. We can explain to the kids that after the temple was cleansed, Christ healed the blind and the lame (see verse 14). Similarly, we can serve Christ better when we are clean and worthy.

On Tuesday we like to choose a couple of the teachings or parables that Jesus shared on the Tuesday before Easter. This year Cameron and I are choosing to focus on Matthew 22: 36-40 where Christ shares the commandments to love God and love our fellow man. We'll be discussing with the kids specific ways that our choices can demonstrate our love for God and others.

On Wednesday we're going to be talking to the kids about Judas and his tragic choice to sell Christ. We will prepare a couple little examples of choices we might make to "sell Christ"--little everyday decisions we might make that aren't what He would want. We'll be doing some role playing and re-enacting to bring it all down to our kids' level.

On Thursday evening we would usually be having our Passover dinner. But alas, this year Cameron's mom offered to take the kids for a night so we could have a little getaway. It so happened that this was the only night that fit in our crazy school/pregnancy/kids schedule any time in the next three months, so we jumped on it. So Thursday evening this year we will be praising the name of my mother-in-law and enjoying a little breather.

On Friday we will have our little Passover dinner with our kids. There is rich symbolism behind the traditional Passover food. We recently had a little family night lesson on Moses, the children of Israel, and the first Passover to help the kids piece things together a bit. I like to keep our Passover meal fairly simple. This year we're planning lentil soup and a side platter of cheese, olives, and dried fruit (similar to foods Jesus would have eaten) along with the traditional Passover unleavened bread, roasted eggs, romaine lettuce, and haroset (a mixture of apples, nuts, cinnamon, and grape juice. There is a basic recipe for haroset here if you are interested.)

We also like to read this book by Caralyn Buehner with the kids and discuss the Atonement on a basic, child's level. From our experience, movies depicting the crucifixion are pretty scary for our kids at this age. But we like the tasteful way this book deals with Easter.
                                    
On Saturday we have traditionally done Easter baskets, complete with a little trail of jelly beans/fruit snacks/mini marshmallows/fill-in-the-blank sugary item that leads from the kids rooms to the Easter goodies in the living room.

We like to do baskets on Saturday so they don't detract from the Savior's triumph on Easter morning. We will also decorate Easter eggs and enjoy traditional Easter activities.

On Easter Sunday we always have popovers for breakfast--they're empty inside like Christ's tomb on Easter morning. We like to fill them with lots of whipped cream and yogurt and things. While we enjoy them we typically share our testimonies of Jesus Christ, His perfect life, Atonement, and Resurrection.

Easter is a beautiful time of year, and I love ramping up for it by studying the gospels personally and with our kids. He is risen, and I want to teach our kids to rejoice in the eternal life He offers us.

When I Am 80...

It wasn't an atypical night at our house. Grace had just finished smearing her cheesy potato soup all through her hair and clothes and was heading for another post-meal bath. Abby was giddy at the opportunity to join her sister in the tub. I smiled. Abby and Grace play together beautifully and are a great joy to us. Yes, having kids every two years is difficult. But we are so grateful that has been the spacing for our kids. We love watching them play and grow together. For us, the joy is worth the sacrifice.

Then I thought of a conversation Cameron and I had held the previous evening. He had overheard a group of teenagers discussing crushes and teen romance. Cameron longed for a way to tell the youth that it really might be better if they were just friends with each other. Of course, convincing teens of such a concept is no small task. What teen isn't just sure that they know more than they do? Life, Cameron and I decided, requires us to make choices with wisdom beyond our years. Teens and young adults make choices that will affect them for years, but they lack the life experience and understanding to comprehend the importance of what they are doing.

So it is with parenting. Parenthood is full of choices and sacrifices that will affect generations. Do we understand the magnitude of our daily actions? I am sure I don't. But I am also sure that when I am 80 any career I have had won't matter much. I won't remember how much my kids' lacking cleanliness drove me crazy. I won't remember sleepless nights or desperate moments. But if Cameron and I have done a good job at loving, sacrificing, and teaching our children, we will be deeply grateful.

Cameron and Jake spent Christmas day constructing this model truck. 

And on that note, I'm going to end this blog post and go spend time with my kids.

Lazarus, Easter, and the Rameumptom

We had been listening to our New Testament Scripture Scouts CDs in the car, and one day while running errands we heard the segment from John 11 where Christ raised Lazarus from the dead. Apparently Jake got the song stuck in his head, because he spent hours that evening running around the house boisterously singing, "Lazarus, come forth!" (It was cute the first five or so times. After that I was wishing outside temperatures were a little more humane so he could share his enthusiasm with the backyard.)

Later during dinner I had a lovely chat with the kids about some of the beauties of John 11--specifically the fact that Jesus wept when He saw Mary and Martha's grief, even though He knew He was about to bring Lazarus back. We worship a God who grieves when we grieve, joys with us, and is touched by our experiences. To me it is a principle of incomparable beauty and wonder. After I explained it to the kids Jake said, "Maybe Jesus cried when you got your cancer."

"Maybe He did," I said. "That was really scary for me because I wanted to live to be your mom."

"Yeah," Abby chimed in, "but you didn't need to worry because we have the Rameumptom."

Uh, I think the word you are searching for here is Resurrection.

Easter is coming soon. How nice that we already know what vocabulary words we will be focusing on.

Quiver Full

The snow pounded outside our living room window, silently coating the landscape in fluffy whiteness. Inside we were having a cozy Sunday afternoon. Cameron had retreated to the living room couch for a little snooze. I watched from the rocking chair as Jake and Abby gleefully retrieved blanket after blanket to bury Cameron in. He kept right on sleeping as the kids added pillows, stuffed animals, and love notes to the pile. I smiled contentedly and thought of Psalm 127: "Children are an heritage of the Lord...happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them." 

I love motherhood, and I believe family joy is one of the deepest joys you can experience in life. But the joys of family sacrifice and love aren't messages you hear out in the world today. You would be hard pressed to find hope or examples of such on newsstands, TV, or the radio. And there are lots of people who would think I am completely crazy for having a fourth child.

But perhaps such people have never felt the joy of watching their kids bury their dad in blankets during his Sunday afternoon nap.

They probably haven't listened while their little girl led her baby sister down a dark hallway with these reassuring words: "There aren't any monsters, and your big sister is here. And I'm not afraid."

Surely they haven't heard their little boy exclaim, "I love Mom because she's awesome."

I can't think of a better compliment. I'm so grateful for my little quiver full. And I'm grateful my quiver isn't quite full yet.

In the Eyes of a Child

It was a Saturday evening, and I sighed deeply when I went downstairs. Every room seemed to be a complete disaster, it was bedtime, and I didn't have the energy to clean up or to supervise my kids cleaning.

Jake heard my sigh and quickly jumped in to defend his position.

"Yeah, it's kind of a mess. Kids are messy sometimes. So you have to choose if you want to have kids or if you want to be lonely 'cause kids are messy."

I'm pretty lucky to have such a wise 5-year-old. I'll just keep reminding myself how grateful I am to not be lonely while I clean up the messes.