Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Easter then and Now

Easter in Ukraine 2009






Easter in America 2010


Maverick


Monroe

Wyatt




Karrissa and Cash


Cash eating the sugar cookie he decorated
Bruce with his brother Jim's family
I love the holidays
Well to be honest



I love any reason to get together with family



One of the great things about serving a mission out of the Country for 18 months is you come home with a renewed appreciation for the simple things in life that you may have previously taken for granted
I love that we can have our families come over and just "hang out"


well.........
I guess we did more than "hang out" this Easter.


We had several children here to


HUNT FOR EASTER EGGS


Eat Easter Eggs,


(In Cash's case crush and smash hard boiled eggs in his tiny little palm)


Eat lots and lots of candy


MAKE SUGAR COOKIES


CHASE EACH OTHER ALL OVER THE HOUSE


complain about


getting punched,


getting "left out"


"being hungry"


"not being hungry"



and just good ole WHINING!!!



but I'm not complaining


I love it!

I love looking into the faces of our grandchildren
as they run around the yard finding treasures

I love seeing my niece being such a great mommy

I love seeing how sweet my nephew Josh is to his little nieces and nephews
I love seeing my daughter follow her children around the yard pointing out the best places to find eggs


I love listening to my husband and his brother reminisce about the "good ole days"

I love seeing my mom with her great-grandchildren



Last year we were in Ukraine and there were no kids in sight.



We walked to church in the rain.

There were no Easter Egg Hunts, no decorating sugar cookies,
and no kids crying, whining, or running all over, no hard boiled
egg shells all over the house, and no family discussions


No.......


Easter in Ukraine was much different.

What I remember most was is it was raining,


we walked to church under umbrellas



I remember there were women carrying baskets of Easter Bread everywhere we went.
Some were walking arm and arm down the street, and some we saw while riding on the bus
I have to admit

there was a part of me that was envious


because I knew these women were headed to friends or family members homes to share this special bread.


This special Ukrainian tradition reminded me of home. Of sharing a special occasion with the ones you love.
We were far from home
far from our friends and family in America but
we did get to share Easter Dinner with the young missionaries who were in our District. These young men and women had become our family in Ukraine.

Another Ukrainian tradition is hand painting Easter Eggs. Olga had spent an afternoon with friends painting eggs and on Easter Sunday she came to church and gave Sisters Fry, Solomanson, and I beautiful hand painted Easter Eggs.

So this Easter I brought out my Ukrainian Eggs and found a special place for them on the fireplace mantel.
I spent some time browsing thru pictures of our Ukrainian Easter as tears poured down my cheeks

and then I did what I promised myself I would do when I returned to America
I counted my blessings
I enjoyed every minute of a house full of loved ones


and I thanked my Heavenly Father for the wonderful


memories of our Easters in Ukraine

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

OLGA AND VITALY HAD THEIR BABY GIRL

SHE IS BEAUTIFUL
HER NAME IS
MASHA
I'm waiting to get more details when Olga and Vitaly call on Skype tonight
Olga was our interpretor on our mission and now we think of her as our adopted daughter.

I'm so happy they are home and can't wait to talk to them!!

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter

I love this time of year. It's wonderful to have all the spring flowers in bloom and to enjoy April showers, however, sometimes it's easy to get lost in the excitement of "celebrating Easter". Our family has always gotten together with extended family for a wonderful day of Easter egg hunts and good food. This year conference fell on Easter Sunday so we celebrated a day early with family. Which was great because that left Sunday to really focus on what Easter really is about. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He is risen. He is our redeemer. What a wonderful time to focus on the Savior and his love for us.
I wanted to share a few messages that have touched me as I have
reflected on the Savior and his teachings.
(see the videos at the bottom of the page, after the post)
What a wonderful
blessing it was for Bruce and I to serve a mission and to have
the opportunity to enjoy the rich blessings of service. I know God
loves us and that we can one day return to his presence. I know that
each small act of kindness and service is a reflection of his love for
his children. May your lives be blessed as you love and serve one another.
Don't forget to pause the music on the sidebar to hear the videos below