When my husband (who’s Irish) and I (Canadian) got married, we moved to France (Grenoble) to begin our life together.  We had the privilege of living there for 6 years.

I went from being a busy concert artist with YFC Germany, doing 130 concerts/workshops etc. a year, to being a stay-at-home wife in a foreign country (thankfully, though, I did speak the language!)  It was a major adjustment.

Our two children were born over there, and I learned to be a stay-at-home mom.  Another HUGE adjustment.

I was a pretty “hands-on” mom though.  We went for long walks every day (at less than 18 months my daughter could walk a mile), sang lots of songs, did crafts, read hundreds of stories, and hosted people in our home from all over the world – a great education for the kids.  It was easier being a stay-at-home mom over there.  We were up in the mountains, I had no car, and I couldn’t be involved in anything but mothering.  It was a good thing.

Here in Calgary things are busier, and life as a mom looks quite different.  Much harder to balance things.  I gave up on special meals, crafty things, and lots of hands-on with the kids – much to my disappointment.

Yesterday my son (now almost 16!) wanted to see the house we lived in in France on Google Earth, and it started a chain of events in my heart as I began to remember a much slower life.

This morning, I got up early, went into the basement and pulled out a box of things we made in France to celebrate Easter (I did LOTS of things there to mark seasons and days) and I laid an Easter table complete with candles for the family this morning.  They were pleasantly surprised, and it was a special moment.

I thought you might like to see some pics!

I’m no Martha Stewart (I leave that kind of stunning decoration to my mom) but I had a great time pulling this together.

	Here’s the table – sorry it’s a bit dark. Each place has it’s customary chocolate treat, and there are boiled eggs and hot cross buns for breakfast. If you look closely, you’ll see yellow egg-shaped candles.
	A second view of the table.
	This is Tom’s Easter gift – a “Marital Bliss Bar” that I picked up in N. Ireland. The pink bit is “her 50%” and the black bit is “His 50%”. I thought it was pretty funny.
	This is a lamb decoration I made about 13 years ago from an old file folder and some cotton balls. In its back is a vase, and I filled it with Origami lilies.
	These are the egg-warmers I made when we were in France. They are cross-stitched with little bells on top. There are two more chick ones as well.
	These are boiled eggs with cellophane wrappers. The wrappers come as a tube, and once the eggs are cooked and “shocked” you slip the cellophane the over the egg, and then dip it in boiling water. The tube shrinks to fit the egg. It makes it a little difficult to eat as the wrappers have to be cut and removed to get at the egg,but they look pretty cool! I’ve had these since France. There were quite a few in the package, and while I haven’t used them every year here in Calgary, I have used them off and on. Today I used up all but one last one. Sniff. I’ll have to find some more for next year.

You can see bigger, clearer pictures in my Facebook Album if you like.

When I was done I realized how much I missed hands-on mothering.  I began to plan some activities and gather ideas about things we could do together as a family, and I hope this Easter marks not only the amazing and life-changing resurrection of Jesus, but the resurrection of a life more centred around family.

God is good.  Amen

Darlene

Worth watching for a number of reasons. . .

What’s it all about? Read this wonderful story and find out: The Ragman’s Story

Happy Easter

Darlene