Easter in Isolation

              Yesterday we hid twenty plastic eggs for Jenna to find.  The Easter egg hunt has always been a tradition for her.  She has participated in at least one hunt every year - and it is usually with someone other than us.  But as we are stuck inside this year and I won't allow her to go further than the mailbox, I decided to create a hunt for her.  We had purchased Easter candy a while ago and also included scriptures and other Easter thoughts so we could include the true meaning of Easter as well.

Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to. – Jeffrey R. Holland

 His Atonement makes available all of the power, peace, light, and strength that we need to deal with life’s challenges – Sheri L. Dew

For the Atonement of the Lord and His gift of resurrection—for this sublime message of  Easter  – Russell M. Nelson

To understand the meaning of death, we must appreciate the purpose of life. (…) Our Father knew that because of the nature of mortality, we would be tempted, would sin, and would fall short. So that we might have every chance of success, He provided a Savior, who would suffer and die for us. – Thomas S. Monson

 The Atonement is the greatest evidence we have of the Father’s love for His             children. – Linda K. Burton

decorated Saturday morning

hid only half of the eggs we had

The white Easter lily symbolizes purity and honesty. Some say Easter lilies proliferated in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus wept in the last hours before Judas’ betrayal.

You won’t see any mention of the long-eared, cotton-tailed Easter Bunny in the Bible, but he has become one of Easter’s most prominent (and commercial) symbols.  Seeing rabbits emerge from their burrows in spring, early Christians may have adopted the gentle, meek mammal as a symbol of Christ emerging from his tomb.

Eggs and chicks symbolize new life.  An egg can also be a                      symbol of the Tomb.

He is not here: for he is risen – Matthew 28:6

And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.    Luke 24:36

He is risen! He is risen!  He hath opened heaven’s gate.

                I wanted today to be a beautiful and spiritual Easter.  I wanted to include my family in what I felt.  It did not work out to my expectations however.  By 5:00 I was watching YouTube videos by myself expecting that Jenna would join me eventually.  I figured Roland would stay in the room and watch Sunday morning.  But it’s Easter.  Come on!  We haven’t been to church for a month yet.  Nor have we met as a family to hold Sunday meetings.  I think this is the first Sunday Jenna has not watched the “Come Follow Me” program with me.

                The first video I watched was Finding Joy in Sharing the Gospel (here) as it was the lesson we would have had in Relief Society had we met at the church.  Afterward I watched the video “Don’t Miss This” with David Butler and Emily Freeman (here). How awesome it was that they compared the first Easter to our Easter experience today.  The world in isolation.  Afterward I rewatched  the “Come Follow Me” program (Teaching with Power) with Brad Wilcox (here).

  

               When Jenna came into the room she suggested that we watch “The Littlest Angel”.  She had received a copy of the 1997 original animation of an angel sent back to earth to help two children during Easter. 

I don’t fully remember.  I wasn’t as impressed with it as she.  I liked the version I had read as a child.

Only the trailer of the 1997 was available and so we watched the full Hallmark movie made in 1969. 

That was our Easter together.  I tried getting her to watch “Saturday Night Seder” (here) with me, but she lost interest.  I didn't realize it was a fundraiser for the CDC foundation.  Good cause.  Excellent video.  Such profound words from each of the Rabbis and celebrities.  I enjoyed Judith Lights narration during Ben Platt's  performance of  "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".  I also enjoyed the narrations by Richard Kind and Debra Messing.  I also enjoyed Harvey Fierstein's  monologue on "Next Year in Jerusalem" which gave a whole knew meaning to a phrase I had heard before but never knew what it meant.

I think I’d taken Jenna to a Passover before.  Of course she does not remember it.  It wasn’t even a Jewish Passover, but a Passover that would pay homage to our Jewish ancestors but emulate Mormonism as well. It was nice that I had a little understanding of Passover as I watched the performances that were so well edited and had been written up and posted in such a short amount of time.  It was mind-blowing really.  I highly recommend watching it.

                I missed having the opportunity to attend it for a while.  Our friend Beth was going to invite us to her Passover one year, but we have failed to get together and it didn’t seem possible this year.  But I know of other families who engaged in the traditions.

                After Roland got up, he started cleaning the kitchen and strongly suggested that Jenna watch “The Ten Commandments”.  The problem is it’s just so darn long.  She cannot sit still long enough to watch it.  So thus far we have watched only half of it.  She is now in her room watching online lectures and Roland is watching a recorded episode of “The Profit” – some great ways to spend your Easter, right?

                So I am now recording my thoughts on Easter meaning for me this year.  I like the parallels of the things I have watched and heard.  And I wonder if the amount of time that passed between the initial Passover (before the 10 commandments) and the Atonement and Resurrection was the same amount of time that passed between the Resurrection and Covid 19.