Easter 2011

We celebrated Easter this year at home in Richmond. It was nice to be home and go to our own church with our little gal in her cute dress. It was also nice to be able to visit the cemetery on our way to church since we were already running too late to be able to make it to Sunday School. Seeing Andrew’s gravestone on Easter morning was such a real reminder of the importance of Easter or Resurrection Sunday as some people call it.

The grave is not the end. The older I get and the more I am exposed to death, sadness, and suffering, I’m more and more thankful that the grave was not the end for Jesus Christ, and that the grave does not have to be the end for us, if we choose to believe in Jesus Christ and accept what He did for us in paying for our sins.

We took a picture of Savannah in her car seat at the cemetery next to her big brother’s gravestone. I’ve posted a picture before on this blog, but this past Sunday it was a little more special. For one, I thought it was cute that Savannah’s outfit matched the flowers. I was told the day prior that my sweet grandmother had placed pink flowers on his grave and was originally a little concerned about Andrew having such a feminine color on his grave. Silly me, but I just always go for the blues or something more boyish I guess. Well, when we pulled up and I saw how the flowers looked next to Savannah in her dress, I thought they were perfect.

What a sweet reminder to me that the grave is not the end. I’m so thankful that Andrew’s small little casket was not the end for him. That his gravestone is only a marker – that he is no longer there. I’m so thankful that he lives in heaven, and what a wonderful life he is living there. Had Christ not conquered death himself, none of us would have a chance at heaven. And even then, we can only reach it through the righteousness of Christ, not by anything we have done to earn it. But, I’m so thankful that God was willing to send his one and only son to this Earth to die, so that all of us could experience life after the grave!

I pray that one day Savannah will make a profession of faith in Christ, so that she will meet her maker face to face. I would also be lying if I said I am not looking forward to seeing those two catch up on lost time as siblings.

For fun, here are some other photos from our day. My family was in town from Baltimore, so Savannah was finally able to meet her little cousin Matthew (Kevin and I met him when he was born, but they hospital did not allow babies back in the recovery rooms). It was so much fun to see those 2 together and celebrate the blessings they have been to our family in just a few short months!