Mama Mondays has been quiet this Lent, but with the onset of Easter, so, too, the colors of family life at the Salonen household come alive again!
Let’s go back to Holy Thursday. Our bedroom carpet began the “changing of colors” when, after four years of mocking us with its orange-speckled shag look, it was given a new start:
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| Old carpet |
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| New carpet |
Our second-grader helped prepare us for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper that evening with this:
We ended the day with a small birthday celebration in honor of my dear mother, who turned (gulp) 70 (which means that I am no spring chick myself). What I love most about this picture is my son’s inadvertent facial movements to match Grandma’s candle-blowing…
My Good Friday started out a bit disconcerting when my friend Vicky said she’d been experiencing a migraine, and that our planned visit might be cut short. But by the time I arrived at her home, things had begun to turn around. She colored my morning, nearly two hours’ worth, with her lively and beautiful spirit. You wouldn’t guess if you didn’t know that Vicky, mother of two boys, is in the middle of a serious fight with breast cancer. (Please keep her in your prayers. Updates and ways to help can be found on her blog, The Westra World.) Thank you again, Vicky, for the blessed visit!
It also included some Saturday afternoon and evening Easter shopping, resulting in these colors: (Can you tell our teen son woke up in the morning and asked, “Hey Mom, when do we get to take pictures? Can we do it now, please, please?!”)
The 11 a.m. Mass at our church was so beautiful, the altar speckled with lilies and other flowers of varying colors, the stained-glass windows sparkling, the music particularly lively with songs celebrating that “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
I will fess up now; we had a few tense moments over the course of Holy Week as we struggled to get everything in order for the grand feast, visits and the kids being out of school for a couple days. But it was one of the most vibrant Easter days in memroy with the sun shining Sunday, finally, after several continuous bleak, rainy days. Indeed, hope has sprung!
Happy Easter! And may your spring be beautiful, colorful and full of the kind of hope that only a daily relationship with the Risen Lord can offer.
Q4U: What came to life for you this Easter?
Roxane,
Thank you for sharing the pics! You have a lovely family! Also, prayers being said on Vicky’s behalf! How awesome that you could spend some time with her! Happy Belated Easter!
Love all the color and the hope-filled blog.
My writing and writing connections came alive this Easter season.
I’m late to the party, but I am here finally! And oh what a glorious party it is. Love seeing you whole family here, even the ones not so inclined to want to take part. Everyone looked “colorful” and vibrant to be sure. I really thought this year was especially celebratory and signified for many of us the harsh season that has just passed. How cute are your kids! So cute and handsome! Blessings for this week ahead!