Easter - and Loved Ones Not Here

Holidays are always difficult when there is someone missing. At least, they are for me. Last summer, I lost my father-in-law - a man who was more a dad to me than my own father has been, and whose home we've been to almost every year for Easter since I first got married 21 years ago. A couple years ago, I lost my Grandma - a woman who, when I was growing up, was always at our house on Easter Sunday.

Six years ago, I lost my baby brother. Fourteen years ago, I lost my eldest brother. I remember holidays with these boys when we were all kids. Easter egg hunts, helping my parents put together their Easter baskets, loving the expressions on their faces when they saw the Easter bunny had been here. I truly don't think there is any joy much greater than watching a child's face light up.

Except one joy....

Easter is about the resurrection of our Lord. It's about the salvation we have through His death and resurrection. It's about the knowledge that He lives on, and so do those we have lost. It's about the faith and hope that they are forgiven and saved and we will see them again. Tonight, I hold tight to that hope. I hold tight to the blessings God has given. I hold tight to the knowledge that Christ is Risen! Christ is risen, indeed!

Alleluia!