What a great weekend!! And I'm so very sad because I don't have any pictures...I FORGOT MY CAMERA!
The kids were out of school on Friday, so they, along with 2 of their cousins, went home with my dad to spend the night at their house. They spent the day dying eggs with my mom and just having a good time in the country. Richard had to work, so I did a little house cleaning and work and then went to spend the afternoon with one of my best friends, Briana. She's been asking for some deer steak for a while, so I decided to whip up some fried deer steak to take over there for lunch. I also had some squash and zuchini that needed to be used, so I sauteed those with some onion and mixed it up with some bowtie pasta for a quick pasta salad. I had a Sweet Vidalia and Summer Tomato salad dressing, so I put a little of that on it, it was so light and yummy.
Then Friday night, Richard and I headed to my parents house and we grilled burgers. I hadn't had a homemade burger in a long time, and even longer since it was a homemade deer burger..they were awesome.
Saturday morning, Richard and I took the kids to Alexandria to meet up with his parents and youngest brother and took the kids to the zoo. They had a great time, even though the first five minutes in the zoo, Rachel accidentally leaned against a rail that had fresh bird droppings on it...she was not excited. But, we got it cleaned off thanks to the nice lady with baby wipes that was passing by at that time and saved the day.
We got back to mom and dad's Saturday evening and helped my parents do a little work up at the barn and then back to the house to enjoy dinner. Mama had marinated some steaks in some yumminess. Those were amazing.
Sunday morning came early with Sunrise Service for Easter. It was a beautiful service, the weather was perfect and the sky lit up brilliantly as the sun came up. We went to the breakfast afterwards at the church and then back home to start cooking for lunch. Between all of us there, we had a menue of ham, brisket, baked corn, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, overnight green beans, pea salad, fruit salad, rolls that Mama let rise in the back window of my Daddy's car...coconut cake and lemon pie, cookies and cake pops. We had a crowd of about 21 people, and that's just my parents, myself and my sisters with our respective families. We have been so richly blessed with love and laughter this weekend..and food!
Through all of that, I can promise that our main focus was not on the menu..but on the blessings we were sharing and the Reason we are able to share those blessings. I am so eternally thankful for God's gift to us of His Only Son..that he allowed to die on the cross for MY sins. He died for each and every one of us. My sister's parents-in-law were also with us yesterday for lunch, and as we sat around the dinner table after we were through eating, we were discussing the pain and torture Jesus must have endured that day he was led to the cross..and how it's impossible for us to even imagine that level of pain. We discussed the two criminals that were also crucified that day on either side of Jesus and how the one mocked him and the other said "We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Then he said, "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:40-43) Can you imagine, even in his intense suffering and pain, the elation that criminal must have felt at that moment hanging from that cross, knowing that he was about to spend eternity in the presence of God? One can only imagine the other criminal's disdain and horror the moment he realized that he had made an eternal mistake.
I know I will be with Jesus in paradise when my day comes. I have no doubt that my Savior lives and has saved me from a life of sin and pain and being lost among the aimless and blind in our own world. Am I still a sinner? YES. I am human and have human efforts at being a Christian. I am not foolish enough to believe any longer that I am capable of being a perfect person. I fully believe that I am a perfect creation of His and I choose to live my life trying to honor His will for me. Jesus's life and death was about forgiveness of sins, but also about teaching us how to live our human life in honor of Him. Who does your life honor?
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