Jesus led them out as far as Bethany, where he lifted his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. They worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem overwhelmed with joy. And they were continuously in the temple praising God. – Luke 24:50-53

Not only was Easter 2019 a beautiful testimony to light and love at church  (Easter Light and Life more powerful than a Black Hole), our celebration at home reminded us of how blessed we are as a family.

Naomi, Craig, and the grandchildren traveled down from Richmond, sat with us in church, then enjoyed a idyllically beautiful spring afternoon at our home. Both my mum and my dad managed to join us for lunch and then we had a hoot of a time watching David and Beks hunt for eggs in the font garden.

This grand-parenting thing is a phenomenon. David and Beks trust and love us completely, with absolutely nothing held back. We knew it would be good, that we would love each other – but I honestly had no idea the experience would be this rich and so completely unconditional. It’s humbling, really.

The natural kindness and vulnerability of the children encourages me in terms of understanding the essential nature of humankind. Issues such as cynicism, fear, prejudice, hate, discrimination and judgement all seem to be learned over time; but the children remind me that God created us with the capacity to love and to shine and to accept one another without all the self-absorbed angst and tribalism of the adult world.

In this week following Easter, when the idea of re-creation and newness is front and center, let’s all take this opportunity to learn something from the children and to interface with the world and the people around us with more open spirits and generous hearts.

The Hunt:

After the first few photos there is a sequence I captured while David and Beks were hunting eggs in our front garden. Click on the first one then view them in order, taking note of the series where they are looking for one particular egg that’s in plain sight but they just can’t find! Too much cuteness.

Enjoy, and open up your hearts – DEREK