easter reflections

Hope you had a lovely Easter weekend, friends! We had a great time at two weddings (hubby and daughter went to one, I went to the other) on Saturday and then took off for a night and a day at the beach house! Some sweet family friends offered it, so we took them up on the generous gift. Though it was very very windy at the coast, it was still beautiful.

So beautiful that I got up to take it all in! If you know me, I'm a woman who loves her sleep ... but even so I found myself wanting to sit by the waves even in the early morning hours. So while everyone else was asleep, I snuck out to the beach and sat on a driftwood log to enjoy the waves and gulls in the foggy gray. It was a perfect way to think on and reflect on the true meaning behind Easter. Not all the eggs and bunnies, but of Christ's love for us. As a new mom, I feel like I have a better understanding of the sacrificial and pure love that God has for us, at least in a small way. Each night before I put Norah to bed, I look down at her in my arms and I am overcome by love. It's nothing like I've ever known. All my life I've chosen to love others -- my husband, my friends, even my family. It is a conscious decision to love them. But when I look at her, something just stirs within me when I see the child that I've carried inside and given birth to. She is someone that I immediately loved and had no choice about loving. The love I have for her just IS. It is full and deep and hits me right at the core of my heart. When they placed her on my chest after she took her first breath, I was moved straight to tears. I could not hold them back, and from that moment on, she was the most precious thing to me.

So I can't even wrap my mind around how much God loves us! Or that He would give His Son! It is overwhelming. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you.