Easter 2023

Thanks everyone (well almost everyone save 😉 KP) for not minding that my posts are now planned for ‘whenever’ it seems best vs every Tuesday. KP, you’ll just have to call me more often which I’d gladly welcome!! 🥰

On Monday 4/3/23 I was doing a book study with my favorite French friend and the words seemed to jump off the page from the book we are reading, Revealing Revelation, by Amir Tsarfati when it said, “Lord, open a door of opportunity for me to love others and share the truth of Your gospel.” Can you imagine what would happen throughout the world if those within the church would look for “open doors” to make Him known to those who live without hope? The majority of this earth’s population have no awareness that Jesus will return one day. We know the truth, and we are called to be His heralds to a lost world.”

That really pricked at my spirit like when an unseen thorn surprises a finger tip and the thought that this blog is my ‘open door’ and has the potential to reach so many to share this one insignificant person’s experience with my relationship with the God of the universe!!….well, I’ll just say that I’m rethinking my previous post. And as I’ve been informed by lots of folks that they are inspired by it, I realize it was me who was tiring of writing down just my normal day to day things and assumed it wasn’t all that interesting to my readers.  I wanted to spare you from dull blog entries. However, God spoke to me with that passage above and reminded me how my words aren’t boring to everyone, but rather can be life-giving to a seeking, yearning, listening, open hearted soul. If one is available to receive from God something that He wants one of His beloved children to hear and that He might be using me, my story and my normal to accomplish that, then I’m willing to be sharpened in that way by my eternal, all-knowing Father.

So perhaps I will share more after all. 

On that Monday I got to go for a solo hike, which isn’t my preference because of my comfort in social interaction with others and for safety reasons. I went to one of my favorite familiar trails and found myself spending time praying for everyone who came to my mind and worshiping God out loud for the sweet gift of life I have, and for the beauty of the sunshine streaming in my eyes, the vibrant blue sky, the allure of walking next to a babbling brook and the joy of literally hugging trees that seem to be hundreds of years old. 

I paused at my bench a while and then sat at a second hidden bench that my Angel Carl built and I listened to this!!

Then Monday evening I witnessed something that not everyone might appreciate but I’d like to honor my husband, John Wonderly, as he approaches retirement to spend unlimited time with me as we celebrate life and our love. Today he cut the final handrail for his last job! This beast of a handrail was no easy task to move but John, Tim and Matt made it look effortless. Here John is making his very last cut as a master woodworker professionally. The rest of his cutting will be for the completion of our WonderVan, but I was thankful to have gotten this recorded. 

As Easter is approaching I have a desire to share about how this holiday is meaningful to me yet I know so many people have knowledge of its spiritual meaning as a time of acknowledging the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, as well as its secular frivolity with the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts, baskets, and candies. wanted share something in my blog that is over 25 years old. It’s an Easter story that I wrote when my kids were littles and I was conflicted in the duality and often over celebration of the secular Easter viewpoint. Here is a photo when they were at Wendy’s Farm holding sweet baby goats as kiddos. That was a time chock full of happy memories! Sadly I can’t find the book right now but I’ll keep an eye out for it. 

These past few days I’ve been enjoying ‘mi familia’ in Illinois and have had the pleasure of meeting in person, my son’s special friend, Susan. We also all met our favorite Chicago cousins upon Jonathan and Susan’s arrival at O’Hare to start her rapid fire introduction to this group of crazy and fun-loving people I call family. 

Sister, Lys, and I took Susan on a two hour hike!

Gathering on Saturday with the Wisconsin crew!

The favorite Chicago cousins!

My granddaughter getting a little help with the Easter egg hunt in Florida! Easter would have been better if we had been together but at least I got some cute photos!

Since my grandmothers name is Granita, I was excited to see the antiquated corner store in Rockford called Zammutos was actually open! It’s where my Dad grew up in south Rockford in the Italian neighborhood and this famous place served them then and me now a refreshing authentic Italian Granita!! 

I have also had the gift this past weekend of all 3 of my sisters being together and on Sunday we all forgot about the scale and gluttinously indulged in eating our family’s famous and my favorite Easter foods: tagno, cannolis and cream puffs!!

Sunday I was thankful to attend church at my sister’s, Redeemer. Then Sunday night we attended a movie at the theaters called His Only Son (very slow, but told a biblical account of Abraham and Isaac, for which I’m grateful.)

Before I close my eyes tonight and post this, I will share my Easter prayer:   I’m so thankful Jesus that You have revealed Yourself to me as the One and Only way to God the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There is NO other, no none, that I believe in but Him and His sacrifice for me to make the way to the Father. There is no Universe I pray to, no reincarnation I believe in, no being good enough to get me into heaven that I’m hoping for! There’s no other way and Jesus is the only name I trust to have made a way, THE way and I believe it’s true! I’ve seen the miracles! I have tasted and seen them and need no other explanation. Thank You, Father for sending your Son Jesus to offer me the gift of salvation I have in Him. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Thank you for the freedom I have in Him. Thank you for the confidence and hope I can claim because of the Promised Messiah coming and fulfilling every single prophesy foretold. Thank You, Jesus for choosing to be my sacrificial Lamb, my Passover Lamb, and taking on my sin as Your own and paying the sin debt I owed.  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Amen and hallelujah! Yes, I believe with all my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord.  And Father it’s my deepest hope and desire that my loved ones will know Your Son this same way at some point before they die. Don’t let one of them perish before understanding this truth in full. Amen and Hallelujah