The thing I enjoyed most about March was Easter. Not so much bunnies and baskets, but visiting families. Easter is a celebration of spring, of newness of life. That must be why bunnies are involved. They are proliferate! But more importantly, Easter is about the death and resurrection, three days later, of Jesus Christ. I believe that because Jesus Christ was resurrected, all people will be resurrected.

To try and bring this point home to our children, we visited the Salt Lake City Cemetary. Some of Amanda’s direct ancestors are buried there. From time to time I’ve thought about visiting and even discussed it with Amanda, but we seem to live about 30 minutes from everything so it had been a while. This particular Sunday was a nice day, a week before Easter, and we weren’t far away because we had been at Children’s Hospital for a procedure for Jonathan. There’s not much to say about visiting a cemetary. There was evidence of many deer, but nothing noteworthy happened. It was just nice and peaceful. My attempt at a teaching moment was short due to the five-year old taking off exploring.

Later that week we went to the Provo City Center Temple for a sealing ceremony. Just as we believe in a resurrection for all, we also believe in marriage for time and all eternity. A sealing ceremony is a wedding where the couple makes covenants which each other, and with God. It is the pinnacle of ordinances in our faith. It was wonderful to be with my sister in law and her new hubby on their wedding day. The Sealer’s remarks were brief, but poignant. He spoke of the faith and trust a woman places in her husband to be honest and true, to her and to God. I appreciated the quiet moments to reflect on my own progress. Outside the temple, and later at the reception, were great opportunities to catch up with cousins and meet new family members. The happy couple did a ring ceremony for their friends (and younger family members) who could not be in the temple. It was an excellent day.

I should also note that my five year old and I spent the morning before the sealing in Provo, helping to prepare for the reception. On our way down from Salt Lake, we stopped by the cemetary at Camp Williams to visit some of my ancestors. It was windy and cold, so we only stayed long enough to push back the grass from off the tombstones. That boy stayed by my side all the way until 11pm, helping to vaccuum and mop the floors after the reception. I love him for it.

March came to a close with Easter day, which was a bit anti-climatic. I was grumpy about bunnies and baskets and candy-fights. Looking back now, I should have been more grateful for the week as a whole. I will do better next time.

Love,

Dave, Amanda, Jill, Ben, and Jon