Mommy, you didn’t understand…

Holy week: with the start being Palm Sunday and the finale being the resurrection on Easter Sunday, growing up I spent more days at church during this week then any other week during the year.  Palm Sunday mass, Penance service that evening, Good Friday Mass, and then Easter Sunday Mass.  As I grew up I don't remember a specific point that where I learned all about what went on during Holy Week.  The lessons that were taught each year became familiar and my understanding of the weeks events grew as I grew older.  I do remember, though the Easter bunny paid a visit to our house, it was always out in the open that my parents were the bunny.  Easter wasn’t about some giant bunny sneaking down the hallway delivering a basket of goodies (new underwear amongst other things), Easter was about the death and rising of Jesus.

I mentioned to Brent last night that I wasn’t sold on this whole “Easter Bunny” idea.  Sure I want our girls to get a basket filled with goodies but I don’t want that to be the center of our Holiday.

This morning while Mallory was eating breakfast I told her that this is “Holy Week” and that this Sunday is Easter.  She proudly proclaimed “We get to go to Grandpa Crandall's house!!!” 

That is correct.  Do you know why we celebrate Easter?

No.

Why do we celebrate Christmas?  Do you remember? 

God’s son, Jesus, Birthday!!!

Right!  Now I start to wonder how do I ever explain Easter and the few days before?  Do I sugar coat it?  No, I can’t. I just have to explain it.  In preschool terms.  Easter is a different holiday we celebrate for Jesus.  Before Easter Sunday we have to honor Good Friday.  That is on Friday.  Friday is a sad day.  It is a day we remember Jesus because he died.

Why did he die?

Hmmm.  Well we find out on Easter that he died for us!  He died so that we could all live and eventually go to Heaven.  Remember we’ve talked about Heaven before.  Teddi went to Heaven when she was old and sick.

Yeah, Right.

So Easter is a happy day.  Easter is a day we sing fun songs at church (Cue: Jesus Christ is Risen Today!!  One of my mom’s all time favorite church songs) and we celebrate that Jesus went up to Heaven so that everyone we love can go there when they get old and die.

And she munched away on her cereal.  She seem to grasp it.

Fast forward to lunch.  She spent the morning at preschool.  When I dropped her off I saw a bulletin board with the saying: “He has risen for us!”  I figured at some point during the morning they would be talking about the story of Holy Week.

This was our lunch table conversation…

Mommy, you didn’t understand this morning when you were telling me about Jesus.  Jesus died on the cross.  For us!  They took Jesus to a hidden cave and then later the angel came and the angel said “Jesus is gone. He has RISEN!”  And her arms were going up in the air and she was so excited.    You didn’t understand that he died on the cross. And that the Angel told us he was alive in heaven!!!  He isn’t really died.  He is alive!!  So there is no sad day. 

And so there you have it.   Apparently my definition of “preschool terms” was more the “toddler version”.  For the preschoolers, there is no sad day.  Which is just fine.  There is a happy day knowing that he lives in Heaven for us here on Earth.