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Secret Easter Bunny Visits
“Kindness is the essence of greatness and the fundamental
characteristic of the noblest men and women I have known. Kindness is a
passport that opens doors and fashions friends. It softens hearts and molds
relationships that can last lifetimes…
Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is
how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our
words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes.
Jesus, our Savior, was the epitome of kindness and
compassion. He healed the sick. He spent much of His time ministering to the
one or many. He spoke compassionately to the Samaritan woman who was looked
down upon by many. He instructed His disciples to allow the little children to
come unto Him. He was kind to all who had sinned, condemning only the sin, not
the sinner. He kindly allowed thousands of Nephites to come forward and feel
the nail prints in His hands and feet. Yet His greatest act of kindness was
found in His atoning sacrifice, thus freeing all from the effects of death, and
all from the effects of sin, on conditions of repentance.”
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Virtue of Kindness, April 2005)
(Joseph B. Wirthlin, The Virtue of Kindness, April 2005)
My family and I have been the receivers of kindness. The kindness shown to us has filled our hearts with
gratitude.
Over the weekend of Easter, we traveled to Salt Lake City for the LDS General
Conference. We arrived home on Easter Sunday tired from our long trip.
After tucking the kids into bed, Bryan noticed an Easter egg, and then another,
and another, and another hidden in the grass. It had been raining throughout
the day with forecasts of more rain into the evening. Not wanting the surprise hunt to get wet, we quickly pulled our kids from bed, and allowed them to
search in the dead of night. There were many exclamations of surprise. They
wondered who could possibly have done it. While Hailey and Amber were sure it
was a kind neighbor, Jacob was sure the Easter Bunny delivered two batches of
treats—just to make sure we received "Easter".
The Surprise Easter Bunny delivered
two types of eggs. One set of eggs held a message of peace while the other set
of eggs held treats for the kids. The following morning we spent time reading
the messages from the eggs:
1 Nephi 17:3
“And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.”
“And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led.”
Mosiah 24:15
“And now it came to pass that the
burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethre were made light; yea, the
Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and
they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”
Jeffrey R. Holland
It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.
It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.
#Because of Him
No goodbye will last forever.
No goodbye will last forever.
Henry B. Eyring
You hold in your hands the HAPPINESS of more people than you can imagine.
You hold in your hands the HAPPINESS of more people than you can imagine.
Alma 17:11
“And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto salvation of many souls.”
“And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto salvation of many souls.”
1 Nephi 1:20
“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”
Ether 12:4
“Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.”
Moroni 7:41
“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”
Mosiah 4:9
“Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.”
“Come follow me and I will give you
rest.”
Alma 39:17
“And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?”
Alma 39:17
“And now I will ease your mind somewhat on this subject. Behold, you marvel why these things should be known so long beforehand. Behold, I say unto you, is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of his coming?”
1 Nephi 1:13
“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfill all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.”
2 Nephi 32:3
“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”
Enos 1:27
“And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.”
“And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.”
Mormon 5:23
“Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power, and at his great command the earth shall be rolled together as a scroll?”
Alma 37:36
“Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let thy affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.”
Jeffrey R. Holland
“Don’t you give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead… It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Healing comes when we choose to walk away from darkness and move towards a brighter light.”
1 Nephi 21:16
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
Ether 12:8-9
“But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.”
Along with the "egg messages", we received a pot of grass with a red egg. This was attached to it:
“Don’t you give up. Don’t you quit. You keep walking. You keep trying. There is help and happiness ahead… It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come.”
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Healing comes when we choose to walk away from darkness and move towards a brighter light.”
1 Nephi 21:16
“Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.”
Ether 12:8-9
“But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, that they might hope for those things which they have not seen.”
Along with the "egg messages", we received a pot of grass with a red egg. This was attached to it:
The Pot and Grass
The Lord is constantly aware of us. He knows what is about to happen. He sees the morning, the yearning for answers, and He hears the questioning why. We must remember that ours is a God of miracles, and in His own time He will heal us. Most often the healing, that deliverance will come in unexpected ways that is the way of the Lord. Always, He is the meaning of bringing hope.
Every spring the Lord sends us His visual reminders that hope can come forth unexpectedly out of dark places. From very dark places white blossoms burst forth out of their wintery cocoons, yellow daffodils and pin tulips break through the dark soil, and the earth becomes new again. The blooms are a reminder of Life after death, of hope after despair, of grace bursting forth from the darkness. Spring comes again and in the midst of darkness, hope returns. Whatever binds us and keeps us in the darkness, we must remember that Calvary’s cross has the power to overcome darkness. Oh, may our eyes be open to believe, to see the unexpected, to recognize the hope that is before us! For there will be dark days—moments when we are lonely or forgotten, days when we carry a burden so heavy we wonder if the weight of it will ever ease. Out of these dark places, hope will come forth. It always does. It always will! In representation of that hope that springs forth out of dark places we started with the darkest soil we could find and watched this grass grow and flourish and symbolize hope. We wanted to give you that hope that new and better days are ahead and that you are not forgotten because we love you!
The Red Egg
After World War II came to an end, many people in Eastern European countries were not allowed to attend church services. The Communist Party taught the children that there was not a God. However, not wanting their grandchildren to grow up without knowledge of the Savior, the grandmothers would teach the children about Jesus within the wall s of their own homes. Then, every year at Easter, the families would attend a midnight service. When they returned home, they would stay up all night long talking bout Jesus and decorating red Easter egg. For the people in Serbia, eggs symbolized the eternal life of Jesus. According to some legends, the white eggs Mary left at her son’s tomb as a sacrifice turned red after His resurrection. Easter morning, the people in Serbia, would go door to door and visit each of their neighbors and would give them a red egg and say, “Christ has risen!” The red egg meant good luck.
The Lord is constantly aware of us. He knows what is about to happen. He sees the morning, the yearning for answers, and He hears the questioning why. We must remember that ours is a God of miracles, and in His own time He will heal us. Most often the healing, that deliverance will come in unexpected ways that is the way of the Lord. Always, He is the meaning of bringing hope.
Every spring the Lord sends us His visual reminders that hope can come forth unexpectedly out of dark places. From very dark places white blossoms burst forth out of their wintery cocoons, yellow daffodils and pin tulips break through the dark soil, and the earth becomes new again. The blooms are a reminder of Life after death, of hope after despair, of grace bursting forth from the darkness. Spring comes again and in the midst of darkness, hope returns. Whatever binds us and keeps us in the darkness, we must remember that Calvary’s cross has the power to overcome darkness. Oh, may our eyes be open to believe, to see the unexpected, to recognize the hope that is before us! For there will be dark days—moments when we are lonely or forgotten, days when we carry a burden so heavy we wonder if the weight of it will ever ease. Out of these dark places, hope will come forth. It always does. It always will! In representation of that hope that springs forth out of dark places we started with the darkest soil we could find and watched this grass grow and flourish and symbolize hope. We wanted to give you that hope that new and better days are ahead and that you are not forgotten because we love you!
The Red Egg
After World War II came to an end, many people in Eastern European countries were not allowed to attend church services. The Communist Party taught the children that there was not a God. However, not wanting their grandchildren to grow up without knowledge of the Savior, the grandmothers would teach the children about Jesus within the wall s of their own homes. Then, every year at Easter, the families would attend a midnight service. When they returned home, they would stay up all night long talking bout Jesus and decorating red Easter egg. For the people in Serbia, eggs symbolized the eternal life of Jesus. According to some legends, the white eggs Mary left at her son’s tomb as a sacrifice turned red after His resurrection. Easter morning, the people in Serbia, would go door to door and visit each of their neighbors and would give them a red egg and say, “Christ has risen!” The red egg meant good luck.
We wanted to give you this red egg and let you know that,
Christ has risen! We want you to know that we know He lives and He has power to
heal and to comfort and we most certainly know that Jesus Christ loves you! May
you look at this egg and remember that!
I can't even begin to express gratitude for the joy this simple act of kindness brought to my family. Who knew that Easter eggs would lift a child suffering from sadness? Who knew that Easter eggs would help in that child's resolution to move forward? Who knew that Easter eggs would help a mother's grieving heart? Who knew that Easter eggs would set the world right for a moment? Who knew that Easter eggs would offer courage and strength?
The following day on the way to school, Hailey talked to me about her surprise in having received such a gift. She said, "Mom, we have always done things like that for someone else, but we have never had it done for us before. How come?"
"Hailey," I said, "I don't think we have ever needed it before."
We both sat and contemplated that for a minute, and the feeling of gratitude permeated the car.
This is a lesson that will not be forgotten on me. I will do my best to reach out to those in need. I will look beyond my own circumstances and love a little deeper. The love shown to us lifted our hearts and I am grateful.
I can't even begin to express gratitude for the joy this simple act of kindness brought to my family. Who knew that Easter eggs would lift a child suffering from sadness? Who knew that Easter eggs would help in that child's resolution to move forward? Who knew that Easter eggs would help a mother's grieving heart? Who knew that Easter eggs would set the world right for a moment? Who knew that Easter eggs would offer courage and strength?
The following day on the way to school, Hailey talked to me about her surprise in having received such a gift. She said, "Mom, we have always done things like that for someone else, but we have never had it done for us before. How come?"
"Hailey," I said, "I don't think we have ever needed it before."
We both sat and contemplated that for a minute, and the feeling of gratitude permeated the car.
This is a lesson that will not be forgotten on me. I will do my best to reach out to those in need. I will look beyond my own circumstances and love a little deeper. The love shown to us lifted our hearts and I am grateful.
The next morning, we found some more...
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