The True Meaning of Easter

I love Easter. It has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the peace that I feel as I celebrate the life, atonement, sacrifice, and resurrection of the Savior Jesus Christ. I enjoy spending time with family, dying Easter eggs, and cooking good food for Easter dinner. 

But this year seems different. This year, I am a homemaker, a wife, and a mother to be. This year, I wanted to make sure that my home reflects the true meaning of Easter. I'll still do all the fun stuff, but I wanted to focus my home on the Savior. This burning desire in my heart led me on a very crafty journey (and it was FUN!). 

I wanted to have a display that showed the three main reasons we celebrate Easter: the atonement in the Garden of Gethsemane, the crucifixion on Calvary, and the glorious resurrection from the tomb on the third day. 

I pondered and stewed and finally decided to use styrofoam to make a garden, hill, and empty tomb. I used dry moss from a nursery and mod podge to make them look green and alive. Then I used rocks for accents, a tiny pot for the empty tomb, a lily, and three wooden crosses I made out of dowels.  I added artwork to clearly show each scene.  It turned out way better than I expected! 

I also did a display over my piano. It was fun picking daffodils from my mom's home and adding Easter baskets and decorations. Aren't the bunnies just adorable?

In the center of the display, I put a framed picture up that I had started years ago and finally finished. It is a document called The Living Christ, which is a testimony of Christ, surrounded by pictures depicting his life, ministry, sacrifice, and resurrection.

I'm looking forward to dying Easter eggs with my husband and enjoying good food (Easter bunny dinner rolls, yum!), but I plan to make sure that the symbolism behind these activities doesn't go unnoticed, and that they represent the person whose life we are truly celebrating: the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.