I shouldn't have bought them. In the first place, they are
most definitely NOT on my sugar-free diet. Secondly, they were expensive, and I
didn't know where they fit into our new budget. But, as I looked at that bag of
Jordan Almonds, I thought of my dad. So, I bought them, because in that brief
moment they made me feel closer to him.
When all the kids were settled back into the van, I handed
out the gummy worms they had begged for. Then, I handed each child a Jordan
Almond, explaining that they were my dad's favorite. (At least, I think they
were. I remember that whenever we bought candy at movies, they are what he
would choose.) Then we were off for our next stop, the grocery store.
After we had finished at the grocery store and were all
buckling up to head home, I got a big surprise. 'Lashes asked, "Can I have
another candy almond?" Immediately, all the kids wanted more. Bob said,
"Since I'm named after him [my father], I think they are my favorite,
too!" Sunshine Boy added, "After you suck on them for a little bit you can
bite them and the candy coat just melts around the almond making it so delicious!"
I was almost speechless. I hadn't expected the kids to like
the Jordan Almonds; they just don't seem like "kid candy" to me. And
yet, not only had my kids liked the almonds, they had really liked the almonds. And, for may be the first time ever, I
knew that my kids had made a connection to their grandpa in a real, tangible
way.
I will forever remember this moment in my life as --SWEET.
Good things:
--Jordan Almonds
--Remembering the good things.
--Princess Bug playing with my camera to help me get the "perfect" picture of the Jordan Almonds.
I want to share a music video with you. I've watched it multiple times in the last few days to the point that, in my quieter moments, I can hear it playing in the back of my mind. The first time I watched it (ok, the first several times I watched it) I found tears rolling down my cheeks. Its message was just so amazingly beautiful. It was such an incredible testimony of Christ's atonement and resurrection. I was blown away.
As I've pondered this video and discussed it with Renaissance Man, I've come to realize just why it moved me so very profoundly. I want to share what I have learned this Easter with you. It's going to take me a bit of explanation to get to the point, so please be patient while I get there.
Christ's earthy mission was two-fold: to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). Christ's triumph over the grave completed the first part of that mission. We too will be resurrected, reunited with our physical bodies, and live forever. The atonement of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross accomplished the second part of His mission. The atonement is what allows us to enjoy eternal life, which is exaltation and eternal progression.
I've understood intellectually and felt in my heart for years that Christ's atonement, His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross, were personal. He paid the price for MY sins, he accepted the weight of MY griefs and heartaches. I know that He is there for ME. He would have been willing to make that sacrifice even if I had been the only one in the world. His atonement was for ME. I know that I can repent and I know that I can hand my burdens to Him and that He will carry them for me.
My understanding of Christ's resurrection has been a bit different.
As a child, no matter how often you are taught about the true meaning of Easter, I think it's very difficult to grasp the significance of Christ's sacrifice. At least, that's the way it was for me. Even after I no longer believed in fuzzy bunnies delivering eggs, Easter was still about the goodies in the basket.
My first real experience with death was devastating. My dad died when I was just fourteen. It wasn't until after he was gone that I began to understand the beautiful promise contained in the resurrection of Christ. Because He died, my dad will live again. As I've gotten older, more of my loved ones, including grandparents, friends, mentors, an uncle, and even a precious still born daughter, have passed through the veil. It's very strange to think that there will come a day in my life when there are as many of my loved ones waiting for me on the other side as there are with me in mortality. Each Easter I have thought of these loved ones and rejoiced that one day they would be resurrected and that we would be reunited. I have been comforted by this testimony time and time again. But, something shifted for me this year. I've realized something on a deeply personal level that somehow I've missed in previous years.
Perhaps it's because it's because I'm getting old enough to be gaining a sense of my own mortality. (At my current age, my dad only had five more years to live.) Or, maybe it's because I'm old enough to recognize that my body doesn't work in exactly the same way it did when I was younger. But, when I heard the lyrics of this song, I wept. I wept because for the first time in my life I understood that not only is Christ's atonement personal, so is His resurrection. Because of Christ's triumph over the grave I will live again. I will rise from the grave, not just the loved ones who have gone before me. I will have a glorious perfected body and I will be reunited with the loved ones that I will leave behind when it's my turn to pass through the veil.
This Easter I learned that I Will Rise.
This video comes from Alex Boye, if you aren't familiar with his music, you should be.
