Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone. I had a wonderful week leading up to Easter Sunday preparing to speak in Sacrament Meeting (to the congregation). I've never spent that much time contemplating the Resurrection of Christ before Easter actually comes, and I think I'll make it a yearly tradition (hopefully not counting the speaking part). It really helped me to appreciate it much more than I have in the past. We spend so much time leading up to Christmas, but Easter, the most important event of all we kind of glaze over until the day of. It was a little nerve racking having me and Craig as the only speakers on Easter Sunday, but we got through it.

My favorite quote of this year for Easter is by Howard W. Hunter (in his talk "He Is Risen"):

“Think of it! When his body was taken from the cross and hastily placed in a borrowed tomb, he, the sinless Son of God, had already taken upon him not only the sins and temptations of every human soul who will repent, but all of our sickness and grief and pain of every kind. He suffered them all. He did this to perfect his mercy and his ability to lift us above every earthly trial. But there remained one more set of chains to be broken before the Atonement could be complete; the bands of death... It is the responsibility and joy of all men and women everywhere to “seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]” (Ether 12:41) and to have the spiritual witness of his divinity. It is the right and blessing of all who humbly seek, to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness of the Father and his resurrected Son.”

Here are some pictures of Suede and her cousin Hannah in their pretty Easter dresses. Happy Easter!