Easter Time.

This Easter we kept things pretty low key. I knew I was going to be working the evening shift on Easter and none of our family was coming up, so we didn’t really plan a big meal or anything. We decided to have a little Easter egg hunt and BBQ at our friend’s house Saturday afternoon after everyone’s soccer games were finished. It poured during Anika’s morning game, but luckily the weather cleared up long enough late afternoon to let the kids run around and gather their plastic prizes.

They ran around and had tons of fun. Afterward we all ate BBQ chicken, pasta salad, and baked beans followed by an array of desserts. We then let the kids color eggs and we all visited for a couple of hours.

We left and put the tired kiddos to bed. The next morning we got up and I took the kids to Easter service while Wayne went into town to pick up his mom. I woke up feeling really dizzy and off-balance, and just chalked it up to allergies messing with my ears.

The service went well and I was surprised to see one of my great uncles that live close to me, yet I don’t know that well. The funny thing is – during the service and the week leading up to Easter, I had been feeling bad that I wasn’t going to be able to have a family get together. All of my family lives four hours away from me now, and while I try to keep my spirits up, I can’t help but feel jealous sometimes of some of the close-knit families that my friends have.

Well, here I was sitting there during service feeling sorry for myself, and then communion began, and I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was my great uncle passing one of the communion plates. We talked after church for a while and I introduced him to my children. You see, I didn’t grow up in this area, and I never really knew them well –

well, this is the second time in the past 6 months that I have run into him, and he has given me an open invitation to come out to his property and let the kids see his baby lambs and show us around and catch up.

Just as I was feeling lonely and missing that family feeling, I was reminded that I’m not alone.

After my eye-opening service, we ate lunch with Wayne’s mom and I got ready for work. My head was still dizzy and I wasn’t feeling well, but I couldn’t call in on Easter. I went into work and quickly realized that it wasn’t a good idea. I was passing medication and have to look up and down frequently. I got incredibly dizzy, broke out into a cold sweat, and became very nauseous. I literally sat down at the nurse’s station and was afraid to move my head.

Thank God for my amazing co-workers. The other nurse I was working with offered to cover me and do my work in addition to his. I felt so terribly bad having him do this – especially on Easter, but there was absolutely no way I could finish my shift.

Thankfully Wayne and the kids came and brought me home around dinner time and I headed into bed and slept the rest of the evening away. Today I still felt dizzy and exhausted – I think perhaps its a middle ear infection or something. I’ve been drinking lots of hot tea and using lots of hot packs.

Easter weekend certainly didn’t go as I imagined, but I was amazed at the kindness and generosity in people around me.

I am grateful because I am blessed.