the fullness of love...

GLORY and praise

to you, Risen Savior,

for you bring

light to our darkness,

joy to our sorrow,

and the fullness of love

to our reluctant hearts.

                                                                --Guideposts

I’ve always loved Easter. When I was growing up, Easter Sunday meant my two sisters and I got new dresses (which we then wore every Sunday all Spring and Summer long) and new white shoes. (Easter Sunday was the day we switched from black shoes to white. I still think that way. Winter white? No. Can. Do. I’m too old and set in my ways. Black comes back the day after Labor Day. I didn’t make those ancient rules. I simply still follow them.) Many years we got hats, purses and little white gloves.(Our brother got a new bow tie. Shirt. Pants. Shoes. Clearly boys got the raw end of the Easter Fashion Deal.)

I also adored the egg hunts! At home. Church. School. I was always that nice child who wanted to make sure everyone got several eggs. (Despite the fact that I sure did want all the good candy I could get my hands on…) THANK GOODNESS, as time has gone on, more people do the plastic eggs filled with stickers, candy, even money, and less of the dyed hard-boiled eggs. Don’t get me wrong: I love me some hard-boiled eggs. Just not when they’re tie-dyed and have been sitting in the sun for a long-ish time…YUCK.

As TLC grew up (Her youngest older brother was 8 when she was born—the others were 15, 17 and 18—so her Four Bubbas were well past any interest in The Easter Bunny.), we had several Easter Sunday egg hunts with my sister’s two children—my nephew and niece. Our church didn’t have many young children—so those egg hunts were for all the kids from 0-14. Therefore, the teeny tots were at a complete disadvantage. TLC typically got angry about her lack of egg loot. Anger. After Easter Sunday service. Not what you want to deal with the rest of the day.

I'm certain Little Leighton (aka LL) and Baby Elle went to bed tonight excited about all the goodies The Easter Bunny will bring them in the morning. Well, Little Leighton is pumped. Baby Elle? Let’s just say at two years old she’s on the verge of understanding the concept (The LIES…???) about Santa Claus and The Easter Bunny. She doesn’t exactly comprehend why she’s getting new stuff/toys/etc. However, she’s ALL IN.

A couple of weeks ago, TLC showed LL the dress she wanted her to wear to church tomorrow. Little Leighton flat refused. It's a beautiful blue smocked dress I'd found for her, on sale, at the end of the summer season last year. It is truly the quintessential Easter outfit. Unfortunately for her Mama, she has definite opinions about what she wants to wear and this particular dress was NOT it. I told TLC I’d find her another dress—an "unsmocked" one. Which I did. This past Thursday at the Ft. Worth Dillard's. On my way to TLC’s. The sweetest, flowery Laura Ashley dress. LL immediately approved when she saw it!

Baby Elle will be wearing a pretty pink smocked dress, with the most precious little bunnies in the smocked area. It was LL’s when she was 3. (Yes. This means Baby Elle, at 2, is built a bit chunkier than LL. LL was diagnosed at 2 with Celiac and underweight for two more years. It's only been in the past year that she's beginning to catch up to where she should be on the weight chart.) And, hopefully, Baby Elle will be wearing the blue-smocked dress in a year or two. That sure is the great thing about sisters! Hand-me-downs. Not so great for the younger one. True. Except the blue dress will literally be new. 

These two precious sisters are actually quite different in many ways. Baby Elle is much more physical than LL ever was. More adventurous. Less shy. A bit sassier. Little Leighton is energetic...in a dance-y kind of way. Loves to sing. Color. Draw. MUST read. NEEDS books. We celebrate each difference with respect, laughter and love. (Okay. Yes, we occasionally roll our eyes with complete frustration at Baby Elle's antics. She is often an enigma. Like her Pa-Pa.) Baby Elle has no clue she can refuse to wear this dress. Not yet. She will. She watches everything Big Sister does. Listens to everything Little Leighton says. It's coming. TLC will be (semi) prepared. It's inevitable.

LL and Baby Elle have two egg hunts tomorrow. (They’ve already gone to their church egg hunt—it was last Sunday afternoon. Smart church. IMHO.) They've got the one at their house first thing in the morn and then one after lunch at TLC’s Hubby’s parents’ home. With cousins. They’ll have a big-time Easter Sunday Blast. I pray these memories are immensely happy ones for the rest of their precious lives. I have nice Easter memories. Any growing-up church memory I have? From Christmas to Easter Sunday and everything in between? My Nana. She cherished going to church. She was a good Christian woman and a tremendous role model.

Wishing each of you the Most Joyous Easter Sunday! I’m hoping we ALL remember the true reason for this Amazing Day…

Big Bunny Hugs,

ELC