Seeing is Believing

For most of us Easter means ham, eggs hunts, baskets, attending church on Sunday and indulging in too many cadbury eggs and peeps. I, in fact, love Easter. I admit, I love the giving of baskets, goodies, dying eggs, and putting on my Easter best. I love that is signifies the coming of spring, sun dresses, sandals and my cherished white Tory Burch purse. Its a time of newness, rebirth, and life.  This is clear through the green grass sprouting, blooms on the trees, and the life that April showers bring. This year I am especially excited for Easter because this year, I can see beyond the Hallmark holiday and into the greater gift not found in any perfectly embroidered basket.

I'd like to paint a picture for you.

Its warm, dusty, crowded. People are shoulder-to-shoulder. They are shouting with joy and its almost as if they are watching a parade. In a sense, this is a parade. Slowly, Jesus makes his way through the crowd, atop a donkey. He is exalted, esteemed, and given a king's welcome into the city. Cloaks are laid at his feet to form a path, and the crowd shouts "Hosana!" The same crowd that will just days later shout "crucify him!"

Could you do it? Would you do it? Ride atop a donkey knowing what is to come? Could you submit your whole being for your father? For all the world's people? Would you be obedient when every fiber in your body screams, no?

This scene painted so artfully in all four Gospels never ceases to amaze me. Its sends chills through my body and reminds me of His awesome love.

See, He knew we could not do it, would not do it. He mustered the courage, the obedience, the loyalty, the faith and walked into a crowd who shouted at Him "Hosana"--help us, save us. How fitting.

This picture is one of the love he had for us, the sacrifice he gave for us. He rode into the crowd knowing full-well what was to come, and never turned back.

What a display of faith. This is where I falter. I have for sometime looked backwards for what I could have done or should have done, and become frustrated when I am unable to control the forward momentum of my life, wanting so badly to know what will come. But I can neither change the past, or control the future. Just like Him. So this Easter season, I will walk by faith alone. I will trust in Him. Because, my heart will betray me, my friends will betray me, my family will betray, but like Him when the crowd betrayed Him, He saved.

We need not see to believe, only trust.

The Easter Bunny Hopped over Our House

Easter is by far my favorite holiday. I loved getting a new dress and hat and gloves when I was a little girl, and enjoyed the egg hunt at church. I love ham, and mac & cheese, and a bunny cake. This year I was supposed to host Easter at my house, and then hubs had to go out of town. Now, I love my in-laws, but I'd rather not have them over without him. So we decided I would forgo the meal this year and perhaps we would try again next year. So I was up for a nice relaxing weekend, just the pup and I... yeah right! I did not get a visit from the Easter bunny, no I got a visit from the Easter.... possum!

Yup, you heard me right. I woke up Saturday morning and was about to head out for a walk with Chloe, when there next to my water hose was Peter Possum (or Pauline), curled up... playing well, possum, or so I thought. So I just took Chloe and went on our walk, figuring our friend would mosey along. Nope, still there. I called hubs, who was BTW not much help 300 miles away, but still. His advice: just nudge it with a 7 iron and tell it to get out. Yeah right! Like I'm going anywhere near that thing, let alone "nudging" it with anything. So I waited it out. By 8:30 I was headed to the gym, still there. 9:45.... still there. Now I had to be at the Easter egg family event by 10:45.... and my guest was still there. Now I was mad. This thing needed to move. I could not let my precious baby girl in the  backyard with this thing waiting for it.

So I called hubs again. He tells me again to just nudge it. Now the possum at this point has rolled over and is breathing shallowly. Now I know that they are notorious for well doing this, but I fear this thing was dying. I mean this nocturnal being is sleeping in broad daylight? Finally I called animal services. They do not have anyone trained in possum removal, but they would send a police officer. Police? I can just imagine this.

Police Officer: Well ma'am what can I do for you?
Me: I've got an uninvited house guest.
PO: burglar?
Me: no, possum
PO: Great...

Needless to say Mr. Officer removed, by now dead, possum from my yard. (yes people dead... he dies right there by my begonias! I will find out today if he was indeed rabid, as this is what was expected.

Hubs is never allowed to go out of town again. Every time he does something happens, i.e. big storm and power outage, leaking hot water heater, POSSUM! When hubs returned early Sunday morning, there were no Easter baskets or egg hunts, just possum memories.

Hope you all had a blessed holiday weekend whether it was Easter or Passover. What did you do this weekend? ~The Illegal Blonde