Our children up at Grandma Lu’s house on Easter, 1996.

 

It’s Easter afternoon, and just my husband and I are home.  We did not have an egg hunt or a make your own pizza party as we have in years past.  We gave the kids and significant others their Easter gifts in reusable bags on Tuesday when we met for lunch.  We’ve napped on and off this afternoon.  I am just beginning to smell a delicious glazed ham baking in the oven.  It has been such a peaceful day, focusing on why we celebrate this holiday.

It may seem odd that we aren’t spending it with our children.  For the first Easter in her life, our daughter does not live in the same town as we do.  She and her fiance are involved in church activities, and school resumes after Spring Break tomorrow.  They have enough going on in their lives without insistent parents demanding that they come up to visit for the second time in a week.  Our son does live in town, but he is involved at his church and is a staff member in a college ministry.  His day was busy, and hanging out with mom, dad, and the pets in his childhood home isn’t the most exciting way to spend Easter.

We could have driven the 90 miles up to my in-laws’ house in the rain, but my husband had a busy morning helping with children’s ministry at church.  He ran sixteen miles yesterday, and I ran ten.  Our bodies are tired.  It feels so good to rest.   Monday morning will start with a bang in just over 14 hours, and we are finding that our weeks run so much more smoothly if we have taken the time to fully decompress and prepare for the coming weeks on the weekends.

We do look forward to many special times spent with our children and the families they will create, but we have learned to choose our battles in parenting. whether our children are three years old or 23 years old.  We treasure the memories we have of all the Easters we have spent together, but for today, it feels wonderful to put our feet up, savor the silence, and thank God for sending His Son to pay the penalty for our sins and triumph over death.   Happy Resurrection Day to each of you, however you celebrate it!