"Alleluia! Christ is risen!" "He is risen indeed! Alleluia!"

I would be remiss, if after the wonderful weekend I had if I neglected to post anything. For most Christians this was a very important weekend, The weekend that we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior. Orthodox has to wait till next week. I LOVE Holy Week. I prefer the Easter season to Christmas. I feel that Easter has so much more to teach us, and is much more rich with emotion.


Maundy Thursday is the service where we commemorate Christ washing the disciples feet. At the end of the service there is a stripping of the alter, usually done in silence with little or dimming light. This is the night we remember His suffering in Gethsemane, the night he was betrayed. This night and the next our hearts are to be with Christ, as this is all in remembrance of His pain and death. I don't believe in constantly feeling guilty, and low on oneself, even if we are all sinners. I believe that we should look to the miracle of God's love, however, this night is the night to feel that guilt, that pain, and to know we need to do better. This is the night to realize the magnitude of His sacrifice and how no matter how hard we try we will never be truly worthy.


Saturday I was blessed to see my brother perform in a choir that put on a musical program portraying the basic story of Christ, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. It was a very nice performance. After the choir was over it was time for me to book it down to Easter vigil. Starting with relighting the Paschal candle outside, and lighting our own vigil candles on our way in, then many readings from the scriptures. The best part of the service is at the end of the readings, where the other alter candles are lit and the lights are turned on, in this case to the sounds of bells and chimes. This is the time where we start celebrating that Christ is risen!


Sunday was two services again, Starting with Easter mass, full of joy, Alleluias, horns and bells. There is nothing like Easter mass, and between Easter vigil and Easter Mass I am filled with joy. HE IS RISEN! After mass I went to another service, where I got to sit with my family and had a trimmed down version of the choir performance the night before. After all of that I had family dinner with the boyfriend's family. I love his family, they are such great people. His parents hosted his two brothers, their wives, and the three grandchildren. The food was great and we all had a lot of fun hunting for, and breaking confetti eggs. Following last year's tradition I made sure to crack at least one down my man's shirt, because I am mature like that. :) After family dinner at his house we had family dinner at my house, with my parents, four siblings, one who might as well be a sibling, five missionaries, my squeeze and two friends. Yeah, that is right. FIFTEEN PEOPLE! ALL adults. We where loud, and friendly, and it was wonderful. After all that was math homework, yuck. lol


After all of that I feel so blessed and filled with joy. I have such wonderful people in my life, Christ is risen so I can be as well, and life is so amazingly good.