Tender Mercies

Happy Easter!!  As a child, Easter was fun. We would decorate and hide eggs, have Easter parties at school, and receive a small gift from Mom and Dad. Although I am a devout Christian, as I have gotten older the holiday just comes and goes for me without much forethought. Yes, I enjoyed the day to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but there was no real  effort on my part.  Until this year. 2015 changed my view point forever.  Back in January as I was unpacking boxes after our move to Kansas, I received a phone call from my soon-to-be friend, asking if I could help out with the annual Walk With Christ  event our church put on each Easter.   Walk With Christ   takes visitors through the life of Christ in a 30 minute tour, beginning at Bethlehem with his birth, through his life as a child and baptism, his ministry, the Judgement, Gethsemane, Crucifixion, and finally His Resurrection on the third day. Though I was over my head i...

I have been falling in love with the little 2 and 3-year-olds that I teach at church more and more every week!  Every Sunday I look forward to the smiles and hugs I get from these innocent little children.  As I was sitting in the chapel during Sacrament meeting, I glanced over the aisle and caught 3-year-old Tommy looking and smiling at me, totally melting my heart.  As an Easter treat, I made pink popcorn balls for the kiddos.  One of their favorite songs to sing during class is "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree," so I knew this would be a hit.  When it was snack time, I asked the kids if they could do a "big favor for me," and I asked if they could sing the song.  "But it's snack time, not singing time," Tommy said.  "Oh but I have a surprise for you, so you need to sing it first, okay?"  And as we started to sing the song and make the hand motions, one of the girls who was crying started to laugh and sing along! Songs are amazing l...