Easter Season

I am behind, yet again in updating you... My apologies. Things are normally crazy busy around here, but since Easter, it's been even more so (if that's possible).

I hope everyone had a very happy Easter. Ours was very very nice. I typically don't get invited out places (understandably so since I am Skylar's full time caregiver and tend to stay at home with her) but my long time best friend from high school surprised me and invited me to a Good Friday service that Friday night. I was very privileged to attend the service at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater with Jenni and her family. That Saturday, I woke up early with Skylar (unusual since we both sleep in) and she actually went back to sleep not long after. However, I was already awake for the day and decided to read a book. Most of you who know me are probably like, "What?! Ashley read a book?!" Not that I don't like to read, but I just haven't had time to get involved in a book lately since I like to read chunks at a time. This book was so interesting, I read the whole thing in approx. three hours. It's called, Heaven Is For Real.

It was a perfect Saturday morning read in between Good Friday and Easter. I laughed, I cried (thinking about Skylar, what it will be like for her in Heaven, etc.) and could totally relate to this family with their trials. Basically a little boy, Colton, has his appendix burst but is misdiagnosed as having the stomach flu. Five days pass and he has to undergo emergency surgery and the doctor's don't give them a lot of hope for survival. It's not over... More things happen, but eventually Colton is able to go home and it comes out later, in bits and pieces, that Colton "sat on Jesus' lap" and had the angels sing to him while he was in surgery. It's just an amazing honest explanation of this family's story and the parents trying to understand what Colton experienced. It gave me so much encouragement and hope for Skylar. Colton's mom had a miscarriage before Colton was conceived and when he came back from Heaven he asked, "Mommy, did you have a baby die in your tummy?" and then proceeded, "She wanted me to tell you that she's really excited to see you... and she wouldn't stop hugging me." He also claims to have met John the Baptist and his great grandpa who died 30 years before he was born! To think that Skylar will be able to talk and hug me, that she's going to be excited to see me again, that she can hang out with my Aunt Theresa, other relatives who we miss so much, as well as Jesus and other "characters" of the Bible who seem to be so distant just brought me to tears. It's so wonderful to know that it gets better - that "nobody is old and no one wears glasses" in Heaven.

Anyway, I highly recommend the book if you're at all interested in what Heaven might be like - even if you don't believe in Jesus or God - it's a really interesting story and makes for an interesting read. So Easter morning, Kyle got to go to Indiana with my Dad to see my Dad's extended family. Kyle and I have been married for 3.5 years and he just now got to meet my great Aunt Alice, which I was so thankful for. My mom and stepdad and Kyle's parents came over to our house to keep me company and have a great feast. Typically, we celebrate a season of Easter, just like there is a season of Lent and sacrifice. The season of Easter is supposed to be full of celebration, feasting, and enjoying life.

I hope you are able to enjoy this season of your life, no matter what you might be going through. Be intentional. Celebrate.

Peace.