Happy Easter!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

Mark 16:1-8

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead . . . .

1 Peter 1:3

Anne Louise had a wonderful first Easter. This morning, we got up earlier than normal so that we could give AL a bath before church. It was definitely a team effort, with Patrick really helping out with Anne Louise so we could get there in time (which explains why her bloomers were on backwards, as Joan realized in church). We picked up Joan and Caroline (and Starbucks) and headed to the Easter service at our church. It was packed, and we ended up on the front row with Anne Louise in the stroller next to us. She was on her best behavior the whole service! After church, we went to Joan and Caroline's house to take some pictures in front of their BEAUTIFUL azaleas before heading to my uncle Ross and aunt Denise's house for a delicious lunch!

Mama had planned to attend church with us and go to lunch at Ross and Denise's, but wasn't feeling well. Instead, we all headed over after lunch to visit with her (and she had some gorgeous dogwoods in the backyard, so we took a few more pictures). Finally, we headed home to enjoy the beautiful weather on the back porch and watch the end of the Masters! It was a great family day.
April 12th is special to my family and me because its my dad's birthday. He would've been 58 today, and I think he would've especially enjoyed celebrating his birthday on Easter. It was emotional today remembering him and the great man and wonderful father that he was. I would've loved for him to have held Anne Louise and read the Bible and Shakespeare to her like he did his other grandchildren (even though they were only a few months old!). I know he would've loved her, and it makes me sad that she will never experience that. But I am so grateful for the impact my dad had on my life, as well as Patrick's, and he will forever be part of everything I do. I have always aspired to have a legal career like my dad, but the most important thing I will remember about him was his role as the spiritual leader of our family. He loved the Lord with everything he was, and it showed in his love for his family, as well as during his battle with cancer (click on link to read stories from Jan 2003 and July 2003). Today, my sisters and I were laughing about how loud Daddy would sing in church - and the triumphant songs on Easter were no exception. He loved the Hallelujah Chorus, and I can almost hear his not-even-close-to-being-on-key version that he would've been singing today . . . . I miss him dearly, but I know my dad is celebrating the message of Easter and the resurrection of Christ every day, and I'm sure he's singing praises in heaven, too ---- but hopefully, a little more on key.