Happy Easter!

[_KimberlyAnn]

I hope everyone is having a lovely Easter weekend.

My weekend has been very nice. On Good Friday, I attended a service and heard one of my favorite Good Friday standards, Were You There? The vocalist absolutely knocked it out of the park.

The Easter Bunny dropped by our house. We also went to church where they had an egg hunt. Naturally, I checked the candy for any signs of tampering. Everything containing chocolate and nuts was suspect and had to be removed to my own personal stash for further inspection. ;)

Lent is over. Yay! Denying oneself for Lent seems useless unless that self-denial results in a blessing for someone else, so the girlies and I abstained from drinking soda pop, lemonade, tea and such and gave up our after-school Sonic cherry limeade trips, saving the money we would have spent in a little box. Well, we saved just over $200.00! This week we will spend that money buying food items for a local food bank, then stock their pantry with what we purchased, bringing our Lenten task to completion. There are millions of kids going to bed each night with growling tummies. I hope my girls never experience that, but I do want them to respond to others' want.

Easter was perfect, with one exception: the folks at church didn't want to perform the Martin Luther Liturgical Line Dance. I choreographed it myself, and hoped the kids might do it in modern service, but no. That's alright. I'll put on the pressure again near Reformation Sunday. There's no good reason in the world not to perform it then!

So, what did y'all do for Easter? Atheists, do you celebrate Easter? If so, how? I'm curious.

KA

PS. Some Easter photos of my cutie-pies (minus Madeline, who was at her paternal grandparents' house):





(Court is wearing the dress my aunt wore to the prom in 1969!):

[_Brackite]

Hi KimberlyAnn,

Those are Very nice Pictures of you and your family. I went to a conservative Protestant Church for Easter earlier today.
Happy Easter, KimberlyAnn!

[_KimberlyAnn]

Happy Easter to you, too, Brackite!

I hope you had some Glad-I'm-Not-Jewish Easter Ham and mashed potatoes today. And some chocolate bunnies.

KA

[_Jason Bourne]

Well because it is GC weekend we did not have morning services. I live in the east so I had till noon to either sleep, take it easy or do some thing or another. I ended up getting up early. I have been very busy at work and have had little free time so I paid a few bills and did a couple other odds and ends. Then, because we are having a spring heat wave and the weather was to perfect to skip it, I went on a 1.5 hour bike ride. I met a friend part way through and rode with him for about a half an hour. Then I turned back east to head home. I needed to get back quick because I wanted to see conference. I had 20 minutes. I was 8 miles away. I had a nice tail wind. So I just blasted it. I ran 22-28 MPH, even hit 40 on a slight down hill-but the wind helped. It is so cool to be on a bike and going as fast as the cars. I made the 8 miles in 21 minutes. Felt great!

Now, during the easier part of my ride I pondered the meaning of Easter, prayed some, thanked God for spring and the lovely world and thought about how I can be more merciful and kind to those in my life.

Then I listened to conference with my family. President Uchdorf gave a fantastic Easter address. After that we went to my wife's parents home and joined her family for a nice dinner.

Then I came home and listened to the rest of conference. Tonight I am going to a baptism then having some friends over for some pie. This couple are old friends that are visiting from California. It will be great to catch up.

[_Jersey Girl]

KA

So, what did y'all do for Easter?

I don't mind saying if you don't mind reading about it. I didn't go to church, I went to hospice. Some of you know about my friend who is at the end of her life. On Friday, we were called to come to see her and some folks went up in pairs. My daughter and I sent letters ahead with the last group just incase we weren't able to see her. They were in the process of preparing her for transport to hospice and weren't sure she could make the trip. Our letters came back to us.

On Saturday, we had the honor of reading our letters aloud to her at her beside at hospice. Her mother asked us if we would read them at her memorial service and of course, we accepted. We talked and shared our love for her. She was dozing a bit at the time, probably pain meds. Later we met parents (she works with us) who were coming up to visit and bringing their children to see her. She had cared for them when they were newborns. They brought her flowers, drawings, a DVD of a child thanking her for taking care of her when she was a baby, stuffed animals and one child (who I teach now) brought her a baby doll because she thought she needed a baby in her bed. :-)

We have also been trying to be a source of encouragement for other friends who are frightened about visiting her.

We went again today because my daughter wanted to bring her and her family and Easter flower and a card. I have good and compassionate daughters. This visit was entirely different from yesterday. She was alert and if anyone could be joyful at the end of their life, she was. She was awake, aware, smiling and talking a lot. She told my daughter how beautiful she looked, we talked a bit more and because her mother said she was tired and asked us not to stay long, we kept it brief.

Just as I was leaving, I held her hand and she squeezed my hand for a long time while looking at me and smiling. And then she said something that I wasn't sure if I heard her right and I asked her, "What did you say?" and she said "Don't hit your head on the way out." I said, "Oh look at you cracking a short joke at me!" And she smiled the biggest smile ever. I so dig this lady!

What a blessing this Easter has been!

:-)

[_Yoda]

Cute kiddles, Kim! :)

We have had a relaxed Easter weekend. We went to the matinee yesterday afternoon and saw "How to Train A Dragon". Awesome movie! Everyone should see it.

The Easter bunny visited our house this morning, too. My oldest daughter's friends were fascinated that our kids, at 18 and 21, still got Easter baskets, along with our 6 year old. LOL

We watched this morning's session of conference, but haven't watched the afternoon session yet. I'll probably listen to it tomorrow since we can access it online any time.

My father in law was on his own this Easter so we had him over to join us for Easter dinner.

Now we're just kicking back, playing Risk.

I'm not ready to face reality tomorrow. Back to school and work after a long Spring Break.

[_Polygamy-Porter]

Well because it is GC weekend we did not have morning services. I live in the east so I had till noon to either sleep, take it easy or do some thing or another. I ended up getting up early. I have been very busy at work and have had little free time so I paid a few bills and did a couple other odds and ends. Then, because we are having a spring heat wave and the weather was to perfect to skip it, I went on a 1.5 hour bike ride. I met a friend part way through and rode with him for about a half an hour. Then I turned back east to head home. I needed to get back quick because I wanted to see conference. I had 20 minutes. I was 8 miles away. I had a nice tail wind. So I just blasted it. I ran 22-28 MPH, even hit 40 on a slight down hill-but the wind helped. It is so cool to be on a bike and going as fast as the cars. I made the 8 miles in 21 minutes. Felt great!

FOR SHAME Brother Bourne.

Breaking the SABBATH with a bike ride???

Lucky for you God was busy with prayers of lost candy otherwise he surely would have at least given you some serious road rash.

I figured the Easter Bunny would not visit our home as I saw a dead rabbit on the road yesterday. Squished flat. So I stopped by the store and bought some cheap candy.

[_lostindc]

Kimberly,

You have a wonderful looking family. I can't help but ask, what is your story in relation to faith, meaning do you go to a Church, if so which one (I am assuming Lutheran so is it EV or Synod), and do you believe?

It seems like life has treated you well since leaving Mormonism.

I also have a couple girls under five (typical Mormon family too many kids too early, some may say, wife and I barely under 30). They freaked out over the Easter Bunny yesterday at the Mall. The youngest wants nothing to do with it...

[_KimberlyAnn]

Kimberly,

You have a wonderful looking family. I can't help but ask, what is your story in relation to faith, meaning do you go to a Church, if so which one (I am assuming Lutheran so is it EV or Synod), and do you believe?

It seems like life has treated you well since leaving Mormonism.

I also have a couple girls under five (typical Mormon family too many kids too early, some may say, wife and I barely under 30). They freaked out over the Easter Bunny yesterday at the Mall. The youngest wants nothing to do with it...

I'm sorry I missed your question, lostindc.

I attend a Methodist church. There is a liturgical service which I enjoy.

If I knew exactly what I believed, I'd tell you, but I don't, so I can't.

Like everyone else, my life has been good in some ways, just okay in some ways, and downright awful in some ways. It's the course of things no matter what religion one is, I think.

And I understand about the kids freaking out over the Easter Bunny at the mall. My littlest hates Santa, the EB, the Tooth Fairy--they've all had to start leaving their goodies on the front porch, with the exception of Santa who throws presents down the chimney--because Annie doesn't want them coming into the house. They respect her wishes.

KA