Remembering....Easter

For Easter this year, we were fortunate to drive west to visit my brother and his growing family.

My brother was an excellent host, treating Jack to more than one tractor and 4-wheeler ride.

They are a Catholic household and we opted to attend services with them. As with any worship service where I'm unfamiliar with the structure, my overall goal is just to blend into the crowd. With two young children, that's virtually impossible, but we managed to somehow pull it all off. Another antsy little boy even gave Jack a jellybean, to which Jack politely responded, "Thank you Boy."

The country church was beautiful, the weather was sunny, and the pastor was engaging. Before the service started, my brother warned us that it was a small church with a small congregation. The organist, who also leads the songs, might miss a note or two. Or three.  During one song, Dave leaned over to me and said "I think there's a sheep in here." To which I responded, "Very funny, Dave. Don't make fun of the organist." Dave: "No really. I heard one." Me: eye-rolling.

The joke was on me. A short time later, during the sermon, a woman carried a sheep to the front of the church. The children were invited up to pet the lamb while the pastor talked about the Lamb of God. A unique opportunity for the Easter crowd.

Someone also handed out balloons to kids at the end of the service for a balloon release and an analogy. With petting a lamb and balloons, Jack thought this was all fun until he realized he couldn't get his balloon back.