Easter

I can remember 1 valentines day when I came home from school she had the whole kitchen decorated for valentines day. There was a red table cloth on the table, and white place mate, with her best china out on the table. She had made these valentine hearts out of construction paper with white doilies on them. I remember thinking how beautiful it was. And in turn I remember thinking how special we were to her. She took the time to do this for us.

My parents have never been blessed with much money. But 1 thing my mom did was she made sure that all 6 of us had a new outfit for Christmas and Easter. She really tried, and still tries to make the holidays the best that she can. I really remember our Easter outfits. I remember her packing all of us girls into the van and driving the hour to the mall and spending most of a Sat. finding the perfect dress and shoes and gloves and hats, and a lot of times even a slip and underwear. She would spend time with each 1 of us girls trying to find the right outfit and matching it to the shoes. She took the time with each 1 of us to make sure it was perfect. I remember the fun we would have. Sometimes it was stressful b/c mother and daughter would have different opinions of what was modest and beautiful, but in the end, everyone was always happy. And she wouldn't stop there. She would then spend the Sat before Easter preparing a fabulous Easter feast. She would make pies, and cookies. She would spend that evening ironing all our clothes, and making sure our hair was all done up in sponge curlers. (remember those??) She would paint our toenails and fingernails. It was great times I remember with my mom and sisters.

As I grow older and now have my own daughter, I find it so important to do this same thing for her. I want her to feel special and beautiful. And I know that she does. When she saw her dress today, her eyes lit up and it literally took her breath away. I love that!! She wanted to try it on, and when she did, she pranced around and did twirls and she felt so proud of that dress! She tried her shoes on, and enjoyed walking around the house in them.

So as tomorrow comes, I can't wait to see Brother in his new suit and Dada in her new fancy dress. I can't wait to head off to church and watch them feel beautiful. To me, that is part of Easter. You can call it frivolous and vain if you want. But to me the new fancy clothes are actually a great memory that I have of my family. And it is a tradition that I will pass on to my kids.