He is risen indeed!

We had a lovely Easter. After successfully getting through and hour and a half long tenebrae service with the kids on Good Friday, I was feeling a little cocky. I thought we'd try the Easter morning sunrise service. I dragged the kids out of bed at 6:10 am, they through some clothes off and we went across the street for the 6:30 service. Paul read the preface to Walt Wangerin's Ragman, which is a resurrection narritive, as his sermon. It rocked. We sang Easter hymns (but because the sunrise service is a small crowd, we only got through two communion hymns before communion was done--stopping just before I Know That My Redeemer Lives, darnit!) We said, "He is risen! He is risen, indeed!" We brought back out the alleluias with gusto. The service started in predawn darkness and by the benediction the joyous light of Easter was shining through the stained glass, spraying color on the walls. We had breakfast in the fellowship hall. The kids and I went home for an hour (during the 8:00 service) and watched cartoons and then back for Sunday School at 9:15 (it pays to live in the parsonage!). We came home, hung out, had lunch. When Paul got home (after the 11:00 service) we hunkered down for nap time. No one ever wants to take a nap, but since we were up at six I thought we'd try it. Phoebe slept like a champ. The boys did not which meant Paul and I didn't really either--it was a rest anyway.
At 3:30 I got up and put the ham in the oven. We decorated eggs. Paul made gin and tonics. Jean and Gus came over. While the kids cleaned up the basement the grown ups hid the eggs and then we had our hunt. I guess normal people do this on Easter morning but that's just impossible for us--we've always done it at about 5:00 Easter evening. We don't even bother with the Easter Bunny--how would that work? He snuck in during the hour between the time they decorated the eggs and hunted for them?
We had dinner (yum!). Took a family walk. Had dessert (yum! Thanks, Jean!).

We keep teasing Jean because last week when we started making Easter plans she said, "Easter isn't Easter without family!" You can imagine Paul's response. "Really? Really, Jean? There's no Easter without family? So what? Jesus stays in the grave? What about the widow and the orphan who HAVE no family? No resurrection for them?"

While I firmly believe nothing could keep Jesus in the grave, it IS nice to have family in town to celebrate with.