This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad

...it was stuck in my head. and maybe for a reason. Because even if you're not a Christian, you hear it everywhere, and in looking out at this gorgeous morning, it rings so true. Especially for yesterday. My Easter was a beautiful time of happiness, reflection and candy. and I feel the balance was very good. My Easter always starts Saturday night because we go to the Easter Vigil. and even though its two and a half hours long and it is sometimes hard to stay focused (i think i examined every hair on my head) I did try to pay attention for most of it. And what I got out of it was so spectacular. Just the feeling of reverence and faith within the church was inspiring. Because I will say that our parish is not always the dedicated bunch. But there was such a feeling of peace and joy that filled the church. Especially when all the lights were put out, leaving every parishiner holding their softly-glowing candle. It was beautiful. Also, about 5 adults were confirmed and baptized into the church. That was amazing. Because to find God later in life is much more difficult. Your brain is already hard-wired to focus on work and family. And to be able to find God through all the stress is very commendable.

So after a long but beautiful service, the mood was set for a beautiful Easter. The morning was a little cold, but the sky was stunning and the sun was out. We got our candy, of course, and I think I already ate about half of it. We went to my aunt's house, which is a really nice home in North Caldwell, NJ. It was so beautiful and happy. My grandparents, us, my aunt and uncle, my cousin and my godfather were there. My aunt and uncle got a new dog, a german sheperd mix named Logan. He's adorable. So we ate a lot of good food, saw some wild turkeys on the lawn (...) and celebrated Easter in a really nice way.

Now I'll probably go eat some more candy.