Plannining new Easter traditions

This will be an emptier and very odd Easter this year. Our first one in Australia without my Mum.

I have spent many Easters without her in the USA. About 7 to be exact. But I knew she was here on planet Earth with me. Just on the other side of the Earth.

I was just chatting with my brother on the phone and we were sharing how much we will miss her wood stove cooking. Especially as we are entering the cooler Autumn weather.

Typically on an Australian Easter we would go up to Mums and go to church. Then we would come home and help her light her beloved wood stove and prepare the roast lamb. We may have an Easter egg hunt. I remember being excited about getting chocolate eggs and bunnies growing up.

This year will be very different. Thankfully my brother and both our families will get together...but sadly without Mum, her wood stove and our Mountain home.

We just sold our Mountain childhood home so there is no going back there even if we wanted too.

So this year we will embrace each other while we remember what Jesus did on the cross for us.

Some traditions we will keep like eating hot cross buns and of course going to church and of course getting together with family. Others we will say goodbye to. Like Easter eggs, as Lucy has been diagnosed with a tooth condition called hyper mineralisation. This means that the enamel on her back molars is not forming properly on her adult teeth. SO is vitally critical that even more than I did before I keep the sugar away. I've already got hot cross buns which are are sugary. And they are ENOUGH!

The kids have taken this change in traditions really well. I am really proud of them. It helps that I have offered to trade every egg or even lollies they may come across outside our home with a toy. They are old enough to realise a toy is a much better deal and it lasts longer too.

This morning we went on a walk together to get Coles hot cross buns. They were rated the best in Australia on the news. We also got other sugar free bikies and treats. The kids are still excited about Easter. After all we really don't want our kids to focus on getting chocolate or even on the Easter bunny. That is not what Easter is about. It is all about Jesus dieing on the cross for our sins. That is enough to celebrate on its own! I always try to point the kids to the cross on the hot cross buns and that eggs signifies new life. Bunnies, well, I have no idea how the Easter bunny fits into the real Easter story, but we don't even focus on him. We never have, nor Santa. And our kids are just excited about Christmas and Easter as the next kid....but that's another story..another blog post for me to expand on the soap box.

Sugar free chocolate and honey comb bars. And of course hot cross buns which we will limit intake of as they do have sugar.

The saddest tradition to give up is by far my Mum's wood stove. Oh how I will miss Mum and her wood stove. An Aussie autumn and winter will be so hard without her and her rustic, country cooking. I will miss decorating her house with her for Easter....with stuffed bunnies and chicks.

Another something different activity we will do this Easter is go to YWAM's Brisbane Easter Festival. My brother is coming up with his wife and two girls. This should be a fun distraction while out hearts are hurting.

So I am looking forward to Easter. Yet I am ok with being a little sad. I am thankful I will not be the only mixed emotions soul this Easter. I will be surrounded by family who miss my Mum as much as I do.