Hallelujah!

"Oh death, where is your sting! Oh hell, where is your victory! Oh Church come stand in the light! Our God is not dead! He's alive! HE'S ALIVE!"

Easter - my absolute favorite feast. Not just the feast that my amazing mother prepares for us so well each year, but the spiritual nourishment we're all blessed with over the Triduum. God gives us forty days to prepare, three days to commemorate Christ's passion, then an entire eight days to celebrate the Resurrection - how awesome is that?!

One of the greatest Easter blessing I look forward to is being able to sit down (even if its a short time between video games or bike rides) and have a big Easter Sunday meal with my family. This year at the vigil Mass I was incredibly sad because the fact hit me that my oldest brother wouldn't be home for Easter this year so this was the first time we all wouldn't be together for our big meal.

Yes, I miss my Stephen ;) But it was a wonderful celebration today! I hold every Easter in my heart knowing that the more years that pass, the less of my family I'll be with each Easter.

and the more years that pass, the less fire hazards we'll cause each Easter morning ;)

So even though I may not always seem to want to be around my family, I certainly do cherish the time when we're all together to commemorate the highest feast of our Church. Today I was especially blessed to be able to celebrate Easter with both my family and then again with the family of one of my best friends (although, even though doubly blessed, I still missed Stephen a good heck of a lot today) 

God is so glorious. I hope and pray all of you have a blessed and beautiful Easter.

HE IS RISEN!