I tend to get carried away when it comes to holidays. Christmas is one long celebration at our house, especially now that we've added Advent observation to our daily routine. I do have to admit that Valentine's Day gets pushed to the very last minute since I'm still a bit burned out on Christmas! And St. Patrick's and April Fools' Days get mostly ignored. But then there's Easter. Doing Easter "right" is very important to me! After all, it's probably even more important than Christmas in the eternal scheme of things, and I want to give it it's due.
Unfortunately, the world doesn't stop for Easter like it does for Christmas. (OK, I guess in a sense, it doesn't stop for Christmas either, but at least all the busy-ness at Christmas time is because of Christmas.) But I want it to stop!
A few years ago, I read a wonderful book called "A Christ-Centered Easter" by Janet and Joe Hales. This book has numerous ideas for observing not only Easter Sunday, but the entire Holy Week. The first year we did it, I was so excited that I crammed multiple activities into every day in an effort to help us give Easter a little more hype and a little more rembrance. We had a wonderful time! This year, I wanted so badly to do the same. And gradually my list of ideas has been pared down further and further. Why? Because again, the world doesn't stop for Easter. It's a bit discouraging to me. Even church-related activities have seemed to get in the way of the time and space I've wanted to do our own family devotionals. At Christmas, it frustrated me when our scripture-reading or Advent candle-lighting had to be squeezed in between James' counting of tithing and his obligations to the youth of the ward. And this Easter, it's me that's been busy, playing for the stake Easter cantata, which of couse is Easter-related, but not so much a family activity.
With today being conference, we didn't have much time to spare for the things I wanted to do. We had been babysitting a neighbor's children all weekend, and I was up till well after midnight waiting for their mother to come get them. All the kids were tired, and our in-between-sessions time was devoted to meals and naps.
Tonight after I got home from playing for the choir, James and the kids were ready and waiting to observe Palm Sunday with our reenacting of the Triumphal Entry. I'm not sure this would qualify as a particularly sacred representation of what actually happened, but the kids sure had a great time. Sariah had practiced saying "Hosanna!" and did her part with gusto. She was also in charge of going to get the donkey for Jesus to walk on. Dallin was quite the energetic Jesus, and I worry that perhaps some of the sacredness of the occasion might have disappeared during his performance! But it was memorable!
After the play, everybody wanted a turn to ride on the donkey.Unfortunately, the world doesn't stop for Easter like it does for Christmas. (OK, I guess in a sense, it doesn't stop for Christmas either, but at least all the busy-ness at Christmas time is because of Christmas.) But I want it to stop!
A few years ago, I read a wonderful book called "A Christ-Centered Easter" by Janet and Joe Hales. This book has numerous ideas for observing not only Easter Sunday, but the entire Holy Week. The first year we did it, I was so excited that I crammed multiple activities into every day in an effort to help us give Easter a little more hype and a little more rembrance. We had a wonderful time! This year, I wanted so badly to do the same. And gradually my list of ideas has been pared down further and further. Why? Because again, the world doesn't stop for Easter. It's a bit discouraging to me. Even church-related activities have seemed to get in the way of the time and space I've wanted to do our own family devotionals. At Christmas, it frustrated me when our scripture-reading or Advent candle-lighting had to be squeezed in between James' counting of tithing and his obligations to the youth of the ward. And this Easter, it's me that's been busy, playing for the stake Easter cantata, which of couse is Easter-related, but not so much a family activity.
With today being conference, we didn't have much time to spare for the things I wanted to do. We had been babysitting a neighbor's children all weekend, and I was up till well after midnight waiting for their mother to come get them. All the kids were tired, and our in-between-sessions time was devoted to meals and naps.
Tonight after I got home from playing for the choir, James and the kids were ready and waiting to observe Palm Sunday with our reenacting of the Triumphal Entry. I'm not sure this would qualify as a particularly sacred representation of what actually happened, but the kids sure had a great time. Sariah had practiced saying "Hosanna!" and did her part with gusto. She was also in charge of going to get the donkey for Jesus to walk on. Dallin was quite the energetic Jesus, and I worry that perhaps some of the sacredness of the occasion might have disappeared during his performance! But it was memorable!
Later this week, we'll be doing our annual Jerusalem Dinner, which is by now an official family tradition. We eat foods from Jesus' time, in the manner that people back then ate (meaning on the floor, without utensils).
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