When did life get so complicated??? Really???
So, I was in Target the Thursday before Easter Sunday with Lily and she and I were going to get some Easter basket "stuff". Now, I've never really been that into big huge Easter baskets. I'll get the kids stuff and hide them and such, but I never put a whole lot into it. And the good Lord KNOWS this momma doesn't need all that candy around! But, anyway, we were approaching the Easter section of Target and I stopped and just watched at the mayhem and people cramming through the aisles, loading their carts up like it was Christmas. Really? I tried to make my way through just to get a bag of M&M's and I looked at Lily and said "we're out of here!"
Since when did Easter become Christmas? It's also sad that Walmart had Cadbury creme eggs (my fave as a kid) out right after Christmas. As Lily and I turned around from the madness it's when I rememberd simplifcation. I washed my hands of all the hullabaloo that surrounds each holiday; it's pathetic how stores and merchants capitalize on these holidays. Sure, it's great for the economy; but is it great for our hearts?
Grandma Mavis was always so simple when it came to Easter. She made a fantastic meal with homeade rolls (I can still taste them), she'd make a bunny cake just because and she gave us kites and candy but we all had to share the candy. She'd put it in a big ole basket in the living room for everyone to take a handful and then we'd go out into the field and fly our kites. Our kites sailing in the wind on a beautiful, sunny, Easter day was yet another symbol of renewal and rebirth. Flying free. Of course, as a kid, I didn't realize that then, but as an adult, I see the correlation. That was Grandma and Grandpa's way of simplifying Easter and all that it means. I want that for my kids. Although, in Arizona, you don't quite get as much wind to fly kites. LOL
But, that doesn't mean I can't do the same type of thing for my kids. My job as a momma is to help mold my kids into godly little human beings full of compassion, grace, faith, love, and all that goes with those traits. For a momma in a big city trying to go against the grain of society, that can be a huge challenge. It's one that I'm willing to take on, though. It's something that has been tugging at my heart for a long time. I had such a simple life growing up. It doesn't mean my childhood was perfect; it was far from it and it's a story for another day. However, the simple country life that I had and everything that I didn't has me longing to show my kids what that is like. It was awesome and if I could, I'd take them to the country in a heartbeat. But, I can't. So, God has challenged me to live that same simple life in this crazy world. I'm ready.
Blessings,
Tanya
