Easter Thoughts

I love the verses in Isaiah that describe Jesus Christ's sacrifice for us:

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

"But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4–5, KJV)

And the joyous words of the angel to Mary Magdalene: "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him." (Mark 16:6, KJV)

It seems appropriate that Easter is celebrated in the spring: a time of renewal and new life springing forth.
A reminder of Him who gave His life so that we can live with Him again.
Of increasing faith which works together with hope to make life feel bright again after enduring days of darkness. Indeed, we find hope in Jesus Christ.

A friend of mine at the magazines wrote an essay on the subject recently, and I wanted to share this poem of his that describes hope and faith so well:

Walking with Two Sisters

By Larry Hiller

Faith walks before me,

Holding up her lamp

As I try not to stumble in the ink-dark hours before the dawn.

Her light illuminates

One step and then another.

Beside me, Hope, arm linked with mine, encourages and steadies.

Sometimes in the tedium,

Distracted by the pain,

My mind begins to wander, then my feet.

I hesitate.

Unsure, I look to Hope.

Her hand takes mine.

The touch reminds me of another hand held out to me,

One pierced and scarred

Yet oh so tender

Lifting me and blessing me when I had fallen and despaired.

Remembering, I move ahead

Buoyed up by Hope, who sees the end with perfect clarity.

Update on David: His moods are finally stabilizing! The down days are not as extreme; most days he is in happy spirits. We are grateful!

Welcome Spring!

We just got back from our first carp fishing expedition along the Jordan River this year.
A warm, sunny day with a light breeze, the dogs had fun running up and down the banks, David relaxed with his fishing poles, and I started knitting a blanket for a soon-to-arrive grandbaby (that will make three in six months).

The river was still in its winter look of browns and grays.

But I found a daffodil bud in my garden yesterday—a welcome sight.

And the spring flower gardens in the plaza where I work have been planted and are now blooming, giving a taste of things to come. We've had some storms lately, but each of them clear up quickly, giving us welcome sunshine.

Like unpredictable spring weather, David has been doing a lot of rapid cycling in the last few weeks. Happily, his highs and lows aren't as extreme as they were last month, and he pulls out of them sooner. He doesn't take the zyprexa every day because he doesn't like the way he feels on them. He says he'd rather deal with a little noise in his head, but he's learning to take it when he feels a bad cycle starting, or to help manage his stress when it gets to be overwhelming.

We're hoping the warmer days with more light will be welcome help in managing his illness.

Family update: Sailor Jeff and Nikki made it home safely. He found a good job doing security work soon after he got back, thanks in large part to his two years of doing ship security for the Nimitz. We're glad to have them home. Soldier Brian is at Airborne school in Georgia, learning how to jump out of airplanes. We're very proud of him. I should also add that I'm glad I don't have to watch him jump! Ben blessed his sweet baby Kylee last week; it was fun to be there and then visit with him and his family afterward. We also had a baby shower for our youngest daughter, Katie, who is due with her first baby sometime in the next few weeks.

I had a case of writer's block, but finally worked through it. Finishing a story for the magazines about an amazing young man who accomplishes his goals in spite of an intellectual disability helped me put things back in perspective. He said, "I can't read or write, but I can memorize, and be a good example to others." How can he miss with an attitude like that?

Jeff and Nikki

Me and mommy-to-be, Katie.

Below: Ben's wife, Emily, and Kylee.