Life. Crazy, Chaotic, Ours!: April 2009

Whenever I think of Easter, I can hear the organ beginning to play in church when I was small and the trumpets blasting with the entire congregation breaking out into, "Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Alleluia!"

It is such a sweet, distinct memory. Of course, after church we would head to my grandparents' homes and hunt eggs and play with our cousins, but I remember the amazing emotion and fanfare surrounding the church declaration each year at this time.

Scott & I attend a Lutheran church as adults now, but we have joined the Missouri Synod of Lutherans. We attend the contemporary service. I love it. I love that the kids recognize the music we sing in church as that we hear on the radio when listening to WRBS in the car. I won't hear the organ tomorrow, and we may not even sing the same song I did as a child, but the message will be same. Christ died, was crucified and rose from the dead to Heaven to save us from sin so that we may have everlasting life. What an amazing gift and sacrifice from our Heavenly Father for each of us.

We dyed our eggs. Caroline dyed her fingers. We had a plastic-candy-egg hunt in our yard with the neighborhood kids today in anticipation of Easter Sunday tomorrow.

Andrew lost a tooth (it was already loose) to a Starburst candy this morning, so the Tooth Fairy will visit also.

Caroline and I busted our tails making a new flower bed out front this weekend. All of us had fun at the Zoo and Oliver Garden. (Curious George came too -I guess he was, well, curious, about the zoo!)

Ben, of course, rode around on his bike and hung out with Lauren - for nearly 48 hours straight, I think! ;)

The dresses are ironed, the boys' outfits are laid out and the Easter Bunny should be arriving soon.

Hope your Easter is joyous and blessed. I know ours will be!

I was reminded in the past two weeks of how quickly life can change. How fragile it is and how we never know exactly how much we are loved until it is too late. Why is that?

I realize that we are in the age of hustle and bustle…bigger and better…faster and faster…not just keeping up with the Joneses but surpassing them. Wouldn’t it be amazing though if everyone just took a few minutes each day to pick a friend, loved one, co-worker, etc. to say

“Hey, I appreciate you. You are loved and unique. This is why you are special to me.”

How amazing could that be? To receive a note … handwritten would be better, but I suppose in this day, e-mail would work, too…a note of friendship, love, support…not a bill, nothing with strings attached but just a note of friendship, solidifying that person’s worth on the planet to someone.

We’re here for a short time, really when you think about. I swear I feel like every time I blink I can see another 20 memories pass before my eyes and wonder where the time has gone. I look back fondly with many of these memories as I think about the people who have come in and out or have stayed in my life. Fortunately, the internet has helped me reconnect with many of them. It is the one instance where I can honestly say lately, that I am happy to have access to the internet. (Usually, it annoys the crap out of me that we have become so dependent on it. It is, after all, the “easy way” out – no great amount of effort needs to be put in to anything – it’s all right there on public display with the stroke of a key.)

I have many friends. Some are family. Some I’ve known but a year or so. Some have been around for years. Some have been around since childhood. I love them all dearly. Even though they may not be a constant in my day-to-day activity, each has left a remarkable print on my life and my heart. Each has brought something to my table. Each relationship is valuable to me in its own way. Whether or not it ended happy or sad or if it still continues. I know I have been blessed by many, but I wonder if they know they have been that blessing to me.

I’m hoping to change this. I’m going to try to make a conscious effort to appreciate someone more regularly. To let those in my life know that they are important and loved by me before our time on earth is over. I think that’s the least we can do. To let each other know we are loved and we matter. Everyone should have validation of that – proof of our being – before it’s too late to hear it. It will be random and sporadic. But, hey, that’s my life and that’s okay.

Maybe it’s easy for you to say I love you to those you care about. Maybe it’s not so easy. Maybe you have wanted to say it, but it feels awkward or you’re uncertain about the response you’ll receive. Just jot down a note to someone you care about. It’s a recession – you don’t have to get a Hallmark card – just a note on ordinary paper. It will mean more to that person than you will ever know. And I’ll bet you’ll feel pretty darn good, too.