Easter Blessings

An Invitation:

Mr. Farmer and I were recently invited to an Easter baptismal service…in California. Matthew was planning to be baptized and he asked for Gramps and Gram to come watch his landmark (lifemark) event. How excited we were to get this invitation for an eight year old boy who wanted to go public with his faith in Jesus Christ. At the same time, we needed to be realistic about the time of year it is—–one of the two most important times on the farm. Planting and calving season. Of course you already know the other…harvest. For Mr. Farmer to take time off at this crucial time on the farm was not the best idea, so he gave me his blessing for me to go ahead without him and extend my stay a little. With modern technology he would be able to see this baptism watching a video, the next best way.

Good Friday:

Good Friday I traveled from home to Omaha where I caught my flight to San Diego. As I read my devotions early that morning, I was reminded throughout my day of travel what Jesus’s travel plans were on that day, over 2,000 years ago. I had mixed emotions every hour, all day long, thinking about my Jesus and what all He went through. It was gruesome and I didn’t really want to think about it, yet I need to be reminded of what all He went through…for me. As I was packing my clothes, He was carrying his own cross. As I was studying my itinerary and ticket for the day’s travel appointment, He was calling out to His Father, “Forgive them, for they know not what they’re doing.” And as I was boarding my plane, He forgave the thief on the execution cross right next to Him before saying, “It is finished”.

A melancholy day for me…and yet…Resurrection Sunday was coming! And this year was even more special because our Matthew was choosing to be baptized.

Up to the airport curb in California a black van zoomed in and swept me off my feet. With hugs and kisses from all I felt like I was on “Cloud Nine”, like I had been just an hour before. (I am thankful I love air travel because I’m doing my best to make the most of every opportunity!) We visited a lovely little diner on Coronado Island for supper.

Clayton’s Diner on Coronado Island. Do you see those onion rings on my plate? HUGE & DELICIOUS! Cute and excited kids, huh?

It’s called Clayton’s and the food is scrumptious. Then off to Temecula we traveled, laughing and jabbering and hugging all the way.

Easter Prep:

Saturday was filled with Easter Sunday preparations. The dining room table was set with Mom’s best china, crystal glassware and fresh linens. Addison and I brought in fresh cala lilies from the front yard (yes….in California) and made an arrangement for the Easter table centerpiece. Food was prepped in the kitchen throughout the day…..wonderful delicious food, by the way. 🙂 And some shopping was done for some Easter outfits. As I was helping with preparations I thought to myself how very nice it would be if I would prepare for Sunday’s dinner ever Saturday. Why don’t I?

It was a fun day of watching all the tasks being crossed off the list along with a little fun on the side. We girls went to a quaint coffee shop for our favorite beverages and treats.

We enjoyed a little book read from Beautiful Girlhood, by Karen Andreola, with a devotional on the importance of our words and attitudes. Psalm 19:14 says;

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”

Bennett played a little baseball, too. I love baseball and I love watching my loved ones play. His team said the Pledge of Allegiance and saying they loved God and Country! I was impressed! (And yes, his team won against an undefeated team.) Bennett was SO excited! Win or lose, it was a big win for me to be able to watch him play that wonderful game.

Rejoicing on Resurrection Day:

Easter Day finally came. The ham went in the oven, the potatoes were mashed and in the crock pot. We dawned our finest clothes and off we went to church. The entire Easter service was heavenly.

“Christ the Lord is Risen today, Alleluia!” was sung by all, along with lots of other beautiful worship songs on this glorious day. The message from Pastor Ted couldn’t have been more clear regarding the fact that we are all sinners and we all need forgiveness and saving. With every head bowed and every eye closed, many people raised their hands to truly ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins and become part of the family of God…the body of Christ. Then more worship time with a special Easter communion while people of young and old gathered for baptism.

Our Matthew was first in line. What a glorious sight for Matthew’s daddy to enjoy the privilege of baptizing his own son. Matthew was soaked and so were the eyes of his family members as we watched him be baptized, the symbol of death, burial and resurrection of his Savior.

We have sung this old Indian folk song several times since Easter Sunday. It was written by a Hindu Indian, Sadhu Sundar Singh, back in the 1920’s who chose to follow Jesus Christ for the rest of his life. Quite of story.