Happy Easter!
Easter was a little crazy this year. Dad ended up in the hospital and my sister had to have surgery. So I was running around last minute trying to get things prepared to have our own Easter dinner at home.
It actually ended up being really nice having just my little family together. Dad is doing much better and is home and my sister is recovering well. We plan to get together next Sunday with everyone.
We found time to dye Easter eggs.
The Easter bunny came with a few treats too. 🙂
I made a sweet little bunny carrot cake. It turned out really yummy and for my first attempt at decorating with royal icing I didn’t do too bad. 😛 I learned some valuable tricks for next time!
Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of the family. Eli had to take the Sacrament to some individuals after church and we all came home in a bit of a rush. We just plain forgot until we had eaten dinner and had all changed into our PJ’s. No one wanted to change again…so no Easter pic of the Kitch’s. LOL! You’ll just have to believe we all looked super cute and handsome. <3 LOL!
This week we followed the LDS Living firesides on Easter by Emily Belle Freeman and David Butler. I loved their insights about the Savior and the people who were witnesses to his last week leading up to His great sacrifice and Atonement. It really helped bring in the spirit of the what this season is truly about. The videos were perfect to help us to discuss different topics and weren’t too long so everyone’s attentions spans didn’t start to wander. It also was something different than what we normally do. It’s fun to try new things. Grateful for their offering these this year to help so many families focus on Jesus Christ.
One of my favorite topics they discussed is how the Savior meets us where we are and He comes as what we need.
“For Moses He came as a pillar of fire. For Joshua he came as the Captain of the host. For the woman at the well He met her at her well. For Peter he came as a life guard. For his mother he came as a maker of wine. And for Mary he came as a gardener.”
They talk about why it was they think He came to her as a gardener.
“A gardener watches over, cares, tends for plants and brings about their growth. He does what he knows best. And that is exactly what the Savior does for Mary and all of the Disciples. It’s what He has been doing and what He continues to do for the rest of His life. Coming as a gardener is so perfect because that is what He will do. He will watch over Mary with that kind of love and tender care. He will tend to her now and as He did for her in the beginning.
Having Mary as the 1st witness of the Resurrected Savoir is so powerful. When we first meet Mary in the Bible (Luke 8) she is a woman possessed by 7 evil spirits. For that to be the beginning of her story and then for her to be the 1st witness, and the end of her story seeing the Savior resurrected one on one is incredible and so beautiful. Also, that it was a woman who was the 1st witness. In 1st century Christianity it was not widely accepted to believe a woman. Women weren’t regarded as well. They didn’t hold the cultural status. So for Jesus to appears 1st to a woman is so powerful. And Mary goes back and witnesses to all of the Apostles to what she’s seen. It is a powerful witness born by a woman.
But there is one more person Jesus meets where they were. Remember the criminal? Jesus meets him on the cross. Even up until the last moment of Jesus’s life He was meeting people where they were. It didn’t matter what was happening in His life it mattered what was happening in theirs. And as we think about Him on the cross we remember that He descended below all of us. We combine Gethsemane. We think about the cross. And as we remember, He didn’t meet us where we are to lift us.He descended “below” us to lift us. In D&C 122:8-9 ” 8)The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? 9)Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.”
The Lord knows where we are. He knows our story. He knows what is going on in our lives. And He will meet us where we are. He comes to lift us and to carry us and to heal us and to love us. He is there to give us everything we need wherever we are in our story. He will meet us there.”
Isn’t that beautiful!?! I had to share this message. It has made me ponder deeper who my Savior is and what His character is. He is kind, giving, loving, serving, compassionate, understanding, humble, a teacher, and my friend. He truly does care about each one of us. He Atoned for all mankind. But He also Atoned for me. Personally. He cared and loved me enough to sacrifice himself and endure something I can barely wrap my mind around because I am important to Him. It humbles me to my core. I’m so grateful for the man He is. He lives!!!
I also wanted to share (mostly so I can remember) our testimonies that we each wrote up for one of our night’s activities. I love each one of them!!
I hope you had a wonderful Easter!
