Do you remember?

"Let's talk about what we've done each year on Valentine's Day."

"Let's remember all of our anniversaries."

These are the beginnings of a lot of conversations I have with my husband, and he always groans, because while he may remember dialogue from a movie or book almost perfectly after one viewing or reading, he is horrible at games like these.  And if I'm able to tell him what I was wearing during these occasions?  He becomes even more flummoxed because he would never store such frivolous information in his brain. 

When a significant date rolls around I always tend to reach as far back as my memory can manage and try to remember what I was doing in previous years.  Easter holds a lot of memories for me.  My first posts on this blog were about every Easter in the history of my family!  As we're coming up on our first Easter in England and thinking about making new memories I couldn't help but think about Easters past.  At first I was just remembering the kids being smaller, but then as long as I was remembering...

2005:  Our first married Easter

 

I don't have a 2006 picture on my computer, but I was pregnant with Ella, and I do remember what I was wearing.

 

2007:  Easter in Kentucky, the coldest Easter we've ever had

 

Easter 2008 there is no family picture because I had just had my second knee surgery and was home resting.  I can't remember now if KJ took Ella to church by himself or she stayed home with me, but I do remember my dad drove to Kentucky to buy her an Easter bonnet.

 



2009:  First Easter in Tuscaloosa, pregnant with James

 



2010:  James's first sinus infection

 

2011:  when James had to be double-bibbed

and wore little bells on his shoes

 

2012:  when Ella so sweetly helped James find eggs

and James sneered at the camera because we had just woken him

from a nap

 

2013:  the year I should have bought KJ an Easter hat too

 

2014:  the year of the bowtie

 



More important than how much we've changed or what new spring garments we donned on Easter Sunday, on the ordinary days I need to remember the feeling of triumph on Easter Sunday, the joyful reminder that Christ has conquered death and the grave, and as we hope in Him we have nothing more to fear. Charles Wesley penned the best words on the subject.

 

Love's redeeming work is done,

fought the fight the battle won...

 

Death in vain forbids him rise,

Christ hath opened paradise...

 

Once he died our souls to save,

Where thy victory, O grave?

 

Made like Him, like Him we rise,

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!