Several years ago now, my sister in law Amber Chase had cancer. She has since passed away, but her words on Easter, the resurrection, and spring bulbs are one of my ALL TIME favorite lessons on the resurrection, on faith in the miracles to come. She did a great job of putting this in a way that I can relate, as I love gardening, but I have always had a particular fondness for spring bulbs. (She is also less "wordy" than me, and gets to the point more efficiently.) I didn't know what tulips were when I was 7, but we lived in a house for 2 years where some red tulips popped up in the spring, and I remember thinking that they were the most beautiful flower I had ever seen. Now I know what they are, and that they are a spring bulb, and my attraction to them is even stronger after this lesson Amber gave on bulbs and the resurrection.
To celebrate Easter, and to bring my thoughts to all we have to look forward to in a new and awesome way, I am simply going to borrow her words: from someone who is now spending time with my Gideon in paradise, here is a post from her blog, written nearly 6 years ago. I love all of my family, and I love her and learned so much from her. I learn from all of my family, whether they are my in-laws or my blood relatives, and I am so grateful to have such a great support network. Every year around Easter, I go find this post and read it. (Her blog is amberchase.weebly.com, if anyone wants to read about her journey, or go to the source.) I am going to share it with my kids this year, as they can relate to death and joying in the resurrection more now than ever before.
More than ever, as I have truly felt the loss of someone close to me, I am grateful for Jesus Christ, for the gift of immortality that will come with a resurrected body. I am grateful that Gideon will be resurrected whole and free from disease. I am grateful that I will be able to be a "flower" with him one day. I love my Jesus, and I am glad he provided this second chance to all, because of his strong love and his desire for my happiness. HAPPY EASTER!
This Easter, I pondered a lot on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On Easter Sunday, my daughter Abby gave a talk in Primary about this subject. She said, "I know that my mom will be resurrected, and that all of her scars will be gone, and her hair will be back." I was so touched by this, and have since been thinking about that a lot. As I feel my body getting sicker and sicker as the cancer continues to grow and damage it, I found hope! Even though my body is slowly dying as the cancer ravages it, this will not be the end. I will be resurrected, and all of my scars will be gone! I will be pain free, and have energy again! What a joyful thing! I am so grateful for my Savior, and for His sacrifice!
Spring is my favorite time of year. I love seeing the flowers bloom. In the fall I planted bulbs with my mother in law, and I remember wondering if I would be here to see them bloom. I am so happy that I am still here, and have such delight in seeing my bulbs blooming. It is a miracle that these dead looking bulbs come back to life. As the days get warmer, and the rains come, they wake from their slumber, and begin to grow. Their bright colored blooms also remind me of the resurrection. When you compare the beauty of the flower to the withered and gray bulbs, you realize that that is what the Resurrection will bring. It will restore the weak and frail body, to one that is bright and shining; one that is strong and healthy, free from disease. Though my body is more like the bulb now, one day I will be a blooming flower.
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