Easter With the Family

Happy week after Easter, friends, and hope this finds everybody well.

Nothing special today, just reporting that this past weekend was very full and more than a little tiring but it all went well.

Graphics Magician was still recovering from a three-day field trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with the eighth graders from his trip.  They had a lot of fun and didn't really get much sleep.  Saturday was the Easter Egg hunt at church and I spent most of the day either setting up for it or helping run it.  Saturday was also Social Hurricane's birthday, and we had a little get-together that evening for some family and friends.  (Graphics Magician, with permission, went to his room with his pizza.  There wasn't anybody else at the party his age and he was still exhausted.)

Easter Sunday, sunrise service, breakfast at the church, Sunday School and celebration, then Adored Wife's parents and a young man who's a family friend joined us mid-afternoon and stayed through a pretty substantial supper.  AW was pretty well worn out by the end of it, but triumphantly so.

Monday Basement Artist and I went to work, SH was off work and GM was off school, and AW slept in a little then got back onto the wedding planning and chores.

A joyously packed weekend.

Christ the Lord is risen, He is risen indeed.

Hope all's well out there, friends, and God bless.

Holy Week

Today millions of people worldwide are observing Maundy Thursday, when we remember the events of the last supper Jesus spent with His disciples.  I haven't talked a lot in this blog about my Christian faith but it informs pretty much everything I do and am.  I thought on the occasion of Holy Week I'd say a few words about my and my family's beliefs.

"The Neighbors Think We're Normal" is all about the challenges my particular household faces, but it must be said that we're greatly blessed and I suppose part of our strength is that we try to count our blessings.  For me personally, I eat regularly, have access to plenty of clean water, and have a roof over my head.  I have no great fears of being the victim of violence or persecution.  My life isn't idyllic but I enjoy better health than most and more leisure and luxury than many in the world could claim.

But the greatest blessing I can tell of is that my sins are forgiven in Jesus' name and that I can and do enjoy a living relationship with God through Jesus.  The stresses I do go through, small though they are compared to others, would be intolerable without the strength and peace available through my trust in Him.

I'm far from perfect but God watches over me and lovingly corrects me when I stray.  I try to live my life in a way that pleases Him.  I'm not going to turn this blog into a preaching forum but I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you something about about the best thing in my life.

Hope everything's well out there, friends, and God bless.  I'll try to have some funny stories next time around.  Happy Easter--Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!