The obstacle of perfection

Looking back to last Easter, I realized I did not add it to the blog! There has been much happening in the past few months, so much that I have been neglectful in recording. But as I went back through the blog entries in March and April last year, there is so much that I'm glad I did record. Part of what keeps me from writing each subsequent week in 2010 is that I feel a need to make things perfect, to flow from Christmas forward to today…. a task that is grows ever more monumental.

But in repentance I turn from past and record today.

This Easter was general conference weekend. I love conference and the feeling it projects into our home and family. But it is always a challenge for me to feel prepared for Sunday when four hours are spent in study and worship on Saturday. Add a holiday to that Sunday, and I'm sunk before I start!

We did not have even one jelly bean in our house before 6:30 last night. That sounds like I hadn't even considered Easter, which is not the case. I even had some candy and things in my shopping basket a couple of different times in the last weeks. But Parker is so profoundly and negatively affected by artificial food coloring; it just felt like purchasing a form of poison, enticing poison, for my family. So I always put the colorful bags back on the shelf. Rest assured today that everyone has enjoyed far more attractive poison than common sense dictates prudent.

In the pursuit of a Parker-friendly Easter, I spent several hours Friday night boiling different natural coloring agents to dye our eggs in Saturday morning. That was a labor-intensive process with poor yields. After trying a couple of different colors, I took the lack-luster eggs out of their several dye-baths and declared that Parker could wear gloves and we would proceed with our traditional process. As we opened the egg boxes back up to dye the eggs in the plentiful artificial color baths, the natural-dye eggs had dried and were much prettier. But the natural dyes were long since down the drain and no one was one smidgen regretful.

Dave took the boys and Chris Kelsey up to Salt Lake for Parker's first Priesthood session yesterday, trying to get into the meeting on stand-by. They didn't get in. It was a good effort though, and they did enjoy the meeting (in an overflow for an overflow) and a dinner our after. In fact as I was preparing goldenrod eggs for breakfast this morning, I asked everyone about their favorite talk of conference so far. Both boys mentioned talks from their evening Priesthood session.

Today has been very nice. I always love the actual day so much because the preparation, however effective, must be accepted as complete. We awoke to two or three inches of fresh snow! Happy Easter! At least the Easter Bunny had taken the time-tested approach and hidden the eggs and baskets in the front room. Everyone was so delighted and happy enjoying the holiday spoils. Those moments are treasures to the mother-soul. I would also like to note that this is the first holiday in years that we had complete peace in our home in the anticipation and execution of our traditions. I will write more about that in a new entry.

I would like to close this entry with my testimony that Jesus Christ came to earth, the mortal son of our Eternal Father. He walked among men, teaching and working for their salvation in body as He had in spirit. He suffered for the errant choices of all men that we, through His suffering might be free from the bonds of iniquity. He was scourged and crucified. He rose from that mortal death in beautiful resurrection. He appeared to multitudes as testament of this fact. His perfect atonement and resurrection qualify all men to rise from death to stand before their God and account for their lives. We have the opportunity to apply the justification of Christ to our lives, to be given better than we deserve or merit of ourselves. Through faith in Him and obedience to His commands we qualify for the best gifts God has for His children, eternal life in His presence. I know this salvation is real. I have been instructed, nurtured, and led to this truth through the Holy Ghost whose mission it is to testify of Christ and truth. Christ's power has healed me in life. It will raise me in resurrection. My hope is to accomplish in my life all that is required to merit the fullest of God's blessings in the life to come. By doing so, the blessings of perfect Easter will never die.