Holy Week

 This morning I was able to gather the children for our traditional Easter picture. I love seeing them grow over the years and am cherishing these last couple of years while they are all under the same roof. Soon they will begin leaving home one by one to serve missions, attend school and carve out their own paths. This morning I was filled with gratitude and joy at seeing them all gathered together for one more Easter.

Church was only one hour today and the meeting was lovely. For the most part everyone cooperated. Even though our number of children has increased, the chaos has decreased. The big ones help with the little ones and most weeks we survive and thrive. It helps that we have Gramma and Grampa on our bench too as the little ones tend to gravitate towards that end. The messages were all focused on our Savior and the love that he has for us and it was a great reminder of why we celebrate Easter.

Oliver gave his very first talk in sacrament meeting. He read confidently and made eye contact while he spoke. He did such a great job & I thought I'd copy it here to share. 

 "Easter is the Christian holiday celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. After Christ died on the cross, His body was placed in a tomb, where it remained, separated from His spirit⁠, until His Resurrection, when His spirit and His body were reunited. Latter-day Saints affirm and testify that Jesus Christ was resurrected and lives today with a glorified and perfected body of flesh and bone.

We have many Easter traditions in our family. Some are fun and some of them remind me of Jesus Christ. The ones that remind me of the Savior are:

My Mom has pictures of the Savior for each day of the week up until Easter Sunday. Each picture has a special story and meaning that teaches us about Christ and the final week of his life. This tradition helps me to remember what He did for me and I feel happy when we talk about these things together as a family.

Every Easter we do a family picture where we all dress in our Sunday clothes and gather for a picture. Looking at these pictures helps me to remember that because of Jesus Christ and his Resurrection my family can be together forever.

Last year I went to the Living Christ Event at the church. I really liked that all the pictures were about Jesus Christ. Being in a quiet place with all these pictures of Jesus helped me feel closer to Him.

These traditions help me to seek for Jesus at Easter. Like Mary, we can go looking for Jesus at the empty tomb. I know that Jesus was resurrected. I know that by seeking Him at Easter we can strengthen our faith in Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen." 

As we enjoy Holy Week, we send our love to our family & friends for a blessed Easter season celebrating the life, atonement, and resurrection of our Savior. 

"Peace is found in faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. When He suffered for our sins and weaknesses, died on the corss, and rose again, the Savior rewrote humanity's story. Because of Him, we do not have to deal with our frailties, sins, and fears alone. Because of Him, death is not the end. Resurrection will come to all who have ever lived. Because of Him, families can be together forever. Because of Jesus Christ, we celebrate Easter. And Easter is all about peace and Hope." 

~ Russell M. Nelson