Happy Easter!

As I was sitting here waiting for my son to wake up so many memories of Easter's past went running through my head.

I can remember as a child waking up and finding the Easter Bunny had come during the night and left baskets and hid our eggs all over the house. I can remember getting that Donald Duck toy that scared me for many years to come. It had huge scary eyes! I used to make my dad take it out of my room at night.

There was that year I got Strawberry Shortcake dolls and then another one where I got a Puffalump. (Those hideous pillows that were popular during the 80's).

Of course it wasn't only about the cool stuff I got in my basket. I can also remember dressing up in my dress and going to church on Sunday. I remember dying the eggs and how excited we were when they start making those egg wraps that melted around the egg when you put them in boiling water. (I'm surprised nobody got hurt making those!)

When I became an adult, Easter changed a little. When I was pregnant with my son, I went with my MIL to Michigan to visit her in-laws. I remember making crafts there. Yes, I made craft. Oh and I remember making peanut butter eggs with my husband's grandmother.

Then there was the Easter we all try to forget. The year my Father-in-law passed away on Easter day. It's been almost seven years now and I can still remember that day like it was yesterday.

Now here we are on Easter day and again we are missing someone so much. This was the last holiday I spent with my father. Unlike Christmas, which my father always claimed to hate, he always made Easter fun. In the morning he'd make or buy hot cross buns and me and my mom would drink Mimosa's. One year they got a crate and he made me a Survivor box. Straight from the show Survivor. He even bought a bandanna from the show.

Oh how I miss him. How we all miss him. His loss is felt so keenly right now. When I see the birds building nests outside, it reminded me of that Dr. Seuss book he'd read me as a child. The Best Nest.

We have a lot of hard days ahead of us. His birthday was May 13th and of course he passed away in June. It's hard to believe it has almost been a year. It still feels like yesterday. The pain is still there like an ache in your back that just never goes away. It might get better for awhile, but its never all the way gone.

That's why I'm focusing on the future, on getting our little house done so we can say here with my mom all time. So we can stay together as a family. I have come to appreciate them so much more than I ever did before.

I hope everyone has a Happy Easter with their families.