Joy of the Resurrection

Today, on this Easter Monday, we are reminded that our true joy should have its origin in Christ. By the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ we have been saved from sin, from the power of the devil, and from eternal death. The gates of heaven we re-opened on that First Resurrection! Thanks be to God!

Are any of us deserving of these Gifts? No! But, God loves us so very much that He gives them to us freely. In all of these reminders at this time of year, where is my joy?? I've come to the realization that I'm just not looking hard enough. God calls me to be a wife, and mother. We have six children living at home, and we homeschool as well. A Mother's job is never done....I don't know of too many Mom's that would disagree with that statement. If my life is truly what God is calling me to, then why am I not spending more of my time focusing/looking for the joys that are right in front of my eyes?!

The autistic child, whom you've struggled with for several days trying to get him to understand that there are some verbs that just cannot stand alone in a sentence, and need help....and.....POOF!.....the light comes on. To the daughter that thoroughly enjoys the chocolate mousse that is only made once a year, asking at 9:30 at night for "just a little more, please." How can I say no to that!

Then there is my eight year old, Michael, who is just as sweet as he can be! With the coughs still lingering around the house, I look at him in wonder as I see that he slipped off to sleep during the Rosary. Peaceful looking angel! My almost twenty month old, shows me the most frequently of God's joy and precious gifts. These gifts come from an unsuspecting smile, the mimicking of the word "ouch" because he heard me say it when I get up to leave the room....he follows behind me saying the word, I turn and say "ouch" back...he giggles, and smiles HUGE, follows me....repeat....repeat....repeat. Warms my heart! Matthew loves flowers. At Mass on Sunday morning, he was in awe of all the beautiful flowers around the altar. Laura helps him look at all of the flowers after Mass, and his "MMMMMM!" tells us how pretty they smell. Our centerpiece of Easter Dinner were a gathering of daffodils from outside. Matthew found the vase after breakfast this morning, and was a great reminder to me of God's beauty.....

I guess it's easiest for me to say that sin, causes a gap in the bridge....

but Confession and God' grace and goodness restore us back to Him....right where we belong!

In closing, the recipe I posted last week on the "Potato Dough Baked Goods".....the reviews are in and this is definitely a keeper recipe. The rolls were light, moist, and delicious. We made 40 rolls for dinner (thank you, Michael, for all the help with stirring, dumping of flour, and cracking eggs), that we are enjoying with leftover ham or grilled on the cast iron griddle and topped with grape jam, and the remaining bit of dough is in the refrigerator waiting to be made into homemade doughnuts.