Happy Easter, Everyone!

Saturday morning, after a neighborhood Easter Egg hunt/slip n' slide, we dropped Wonder Daddy off at his office and stopped in to chat with his co-workers and show off...err...re-introduce the kids to everyone. I think Wonder Daddy felt like a ROCK STAR, with every female in the office flocking to see his baby and toddler.

One co-worker in particular, I'll call her A, especially loved the girls. She spent at least 15 minutes on the floor, watching Mimi crawl, rubbing her fuzzy head, and gushing "I LOVE babies!" I believe her, too! I knew she was Jewish, so I asked about her Passover plans- they had their Seder last Wednesday (a little early?) and were planning a big Easter dinner for Sunday. Her family also celebrates Hannukah in the same room as a Christmas tree, which I love.

I have to think there's some real genius at work here: celebrate your heritage and beliefs, and celebrate them every way you can. When it comes down to it, Easter dinner isn't a religious affair- it's a wonderful occasion to gather family together and eat foods steeped in history and family-lore.

There's also a real genius in celebrating both the Easter and the Passover, I believe. The Passover is a celebration of remembrance and thanks of the night the destroying angel "passed over" the Israelites, when they were in bondage to the Egyptians. They were promised that if they killed a perfect and pure male lamb, marked their lintels with his blood, and ate his meat for their supper the destroying angel would pass over their house. They would live.

On Easter, Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ. He was the Perfect Lamb of God. He was sacrificed that we might live. We take the sacrament in remembrance of his body and blood, and take His name upon us and witness to the world that we remember him.

The Israelite's covenants showed outwardly, and ours show inwardly. We are all celebrating a deep and abiding reverence and love, regardless of how we show that love and faith.

So, to all our Jewish friends: I wish you a wonderful Passover. I wish I knew the right words, but enjoy your Seder. Enjoy time with your family, steeped in thousands of years of tradition.

To all our Christian friends: Happy Easter. "Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!"

Enjoy this 3-minute video as my Easter gift to you. I'm actually pretty nervous about this! The camera is pointed at a pretty picture, rather than showing me, at 11:30 at night, in my jammies in the basement :o)