Easter Sunday

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you’ve got nothing accomplished at all?  Well today is certainly one of those days for me. It’s Easter Sunday but it certainly doesn’t feel like Easter.  Easter used to be one of my favorite holidays.  I used to love putting out the Easter Bunny tracks to fool my kids.  It was quite convincing with the rabbit tracks and rabbit droppings.  Easter baskets were always fun.  After the divorce I tried to establish a new tradition where I’d give each one $20 or so and have them fill in their own baskets.  Now Easter seems like just another day.  We have church on Friday and I was out of town for our regular Easter Service and I had to work today.  The thing that goes running through my head all day long is what our pastor Jack Hayford used to say.  “He is Risen.”  Then the audience response was “He is risen indeed.”  (Do you remember that?)   Now, I just have to remember the meaning of Easter and establish the traditions for myself. 

So I think that is what has had me in a funk today.  Its amazing the emotional swings I have here.  There are so many highs, there are bound to be some lows to balance it out.  I just really feel under spiritual attack lately.  For the most part Im weathering the storm with a few minor missteps. Fear is a big challenge to overcome since I’m responsible for so many people and so many projects.  I’m so thankful that I have an accountability/prayer partner to keep me sharp and on track with God’s plan for my life.  I hold him up and he holds me. 

I stayed later at the office when the Romanian called me.  She booked me a ticket for Greece.  She gets 6 certificates a year for 50% off and she offered them to me.  That was very sweet of her.  She invited me out to the mall to meet her and Abdullah the boyfriend/pilot.  I know I had a crush on Roxana when I first got here…and frankly who wouldn’t?  But I think I like her boyfriend almost more that Roxana now.  What a great guy.  He’s a civil engineer by training and flies planes for Gulf Air for fun.  Two and Half years ago his entire family was killed in a horrific car accident in London.  He lost his parents and sister all in one fall swoop.  As he was telling me his story I was transfixed.  He had to fly to London to identify the bodies, how difficult would that be? Especially after a car accident.  But what makes this story amazing, was his response to all of this.  He sold all the belongings and the houses of his parents, basically liquidated everything and took the insurance money and donated it all to the Red Cross.  His father supported the Red Cross and he wanted to honor his father’s memory that way.  What’s amazing about this is we are talking about millions of dollars donated.  I just think its very admirable.  He is a humble guy too…so he’ll probably be a little bothered that I’m writing about this.  Then he went into the prison where the driver of the truck was being held.  They were going to charge the truck driver with manslaughter.  Abdullah went into meet with him with six armed guards ready for a potential confrontation to erupt.  Abdullah asked him about his children and his wife.  It was truly an accident with no malice intended, still he had the right to charge him with manslaughter.  Abdullah just lost his family, if he would press charges for revenge sake they would lose their family too.  So Abdullah went to the authorities and dropped all the charges and signed away so the driver could be released.  He asked the authorities not to give out his name or address so there would be no sense of obligation for the driver to express in appreciation either verbally or with gifts.  So after the story, they told me their news.  Abdullah and the Romanian are engaged.  I’m thrilled for them.  He asked her to marry him in the Cathedral at Notre Dame.  It was quite romantic and poetic.  Im so fortunate and blessed that these two great people have become my friends.