As I pack away the baskets and plastic eggs, I think how Easter has come and gone for this year. This holiday has a much deeper meaning to me in the last couple years. It is still a holiday filled with bunnies, treats, and dying eggs.  Most importantly though, it is a time to reflect on what our Lord and Savior has done for us.

My husband, Duane, died just one week before Easter in 2010. Normally you would think that his death would put a cloud over this holiday for me for many years to come. But having Duane’s death happen so close to Easter did just the opposite. During that time period of planning a funeral and dealing with the many unsettling tasks that come with a death, I felt a sense of relief that Easter was right around the corner. And still in the two years since his death, I get that same feeling.

Why would I feel a sense of relief from a Holiday being so close to a death? (Not just any death, but the death of my husband.) It is because of what Easter means. Basically, because our Lord died for OUR sins and rose three days later, I know that I get to be reunited with Duane in heaven. All believers can be at great peace knowing that a death is not good-bye; it is “see you again soon!” And we get that wonderful gift because of the very first Easter many years ago. 

Thank You Lord for ALL you have done for us and continue to do each and every day!