Life With The Shirleys: expectations

Sunday, April 4, 2010

expectations

I had it in my head that today would and should go a certain way. It is Bear's first Easter, The Mayor is another year older so he should be able and more willing to participate and cooperate in Easter events, and I was bound and determined to get a picture of the 4 of us and with The Mayor and Bear together. Almost none of that happened. Well, of course it is Bear's first Easter but do you think The Mayor would cooperate for a family picture? NOPE. In fact, almost all of the photo opportunities I had told myself I was going to get didn't happen.

We were in such a rush to get out the door that I didn't get one picture of The Mayor seeing or opening any of his Easter Basket gifts. He had about 45 seconds to even check out his basket before we were strapping him into his car seat to get to church. After church, when we arrived at my parents house, the first thing I wanted to do was get a picture of the 4 of us. But it was time to feed Bear and she was so fussy that there was no way to delay the feeding for a picture. By the time I was finished feeding her, The Mayor was so jacked up on sugar from his find of jelly beans that we would have had better luck nailing down a greased pig for a picture then getting him to stand still or be held and smile for the camera.

After lunch and a very successful Easter Egg Hunt (seriously, looks like the practice run we had earlier in the week worked...he was a champ at finding the eggs and putting them in his basket!), I tried again for a picture...you will see from below how well that went. Bear is crying, The Mayor is cheesing it up and refusing to stand with us and daddy isn't even looking at the camera.

But you know what...that isn't what today is even about. It isn't about our Easter dress, hunting eggs, eating ham, getting jacked up on sugar or even the family picture. Although all of these are fun and nice, today is about so much more. And maybe that was God's lesson for me. To chill out and realize the true meaning of today. God gave his one and only child...his son...to die on the cross for me. Such an unfathomable thought. I would never give up The Mayor to save someone else. Yet God did it for us.

Next year I am going to lower my expectations. If I get the family picture that will be just gravy. Next year I am going to wake up on Easter morning remembering the true meaning and being thankful that I have a family to celebrate that with.