My unPlanned Blessings: Sometimes it's Incorporation, Bunnies, & Eggs

Have you ever experienced a heart moment? There is something going on in your head that won't leave you alone, at least not for long periods of time? And for the life of you, you have no idea how to handle the situation "correctly?" Well, I have that, a lot. And more often now that Tucker is older.

He understands so much, process so much, retains so much more than he did as an infant... But he doesn't understand full concepts. For instance, holidays. He loves Easter. Well, more correctly he loves Easter eggs. And they don't even have to be filled with candy. In fact, he generally prefers them empty so that he can fill them himself with the things he likes. And I am perfectly happy with that.

But here's the thing. My son pays attention to me. I have told him "You are going nuts!" enough times now as he runs around the house giggling his head off, that now when those instances happen he joyfully exclaims, "I'm going nuts!" -giggle- "I'm so funny!" -giggle- "I'm cute!" -more giggles-. And here is where I wrestle- allowing my children to enjoy the fun of the holidays, while at the same time being honest with them about the holidays. Nurturing their imaginations without twisting reality. And I'm not sure anyone has really mastered that yet...

I loved believing in Santa Claus- I willed myself to believe in him until I was almost twelve years old- yeah... And it is probably one of my favorite parts of my childhood- that belief in the imagination. It was wonderful. And I want my kids to have that too. I just don't know how to explain everything to them. I want Christmas morning to be more focused on the celebration of Jesus' birth, of the gifts of the magi, than of the presents around the Christmas tree- but I want to still let my children know the thrill of Christmas morning... And to incorporate the two somehow so that they compliment without confusion. The same thing with Easter. Tucker has an obsession with Easter eggs, and a newly discovered obsession with the Easter bunny. And I would love to bring his excitement over those things into the excitement of the empty tomb- and everything that that has meant for mankind.

But how to communicate to a toddler? It seems just beyond where he can mentally grasp at this point in time... and yet he can grasp the Easter Bunny, so how do we bring in the joy of opening an egg and finding sweet surprises, to the opening of the empty tomb- revealing the sweetest surprise of all?

For now, I speak and pray that the Holy Spirit uses my words to speak the loving truth to my son's gentle heart.