Easter Plans 

For Christians around the world, Easter Sunday is a time for joy indeed. Our Lord and Savior is risen! I hold His death and resurrection in my heart, for I know this is where my salvation comes. I am a God, family, and country kind of gal. My desire is always to be in church and have Easter lunch with the entire family, with the ever popular egg hunt in Blue Ridge.

Alternative Plans 

However in 2003, my girls and I were separated from my extended family by miles. Our Tennessee National guardsman was at Fort Campbell, Kentucky awaiting deployment to Iraq.  Sadly, we would not be a part of our customary Easter Sunday in Blue Ridge, GA. At the time, Lindsey was eleven, and Rachel was seven.

In the Weeks leading up to Easter

In the weeks leading to that cool March Easter, life was pretty hectic. Sometime during the week, the girls’ dad would call to share the great news that his unit’s departure date had been delayed again. So, on Thursday afternoons, I would pack us again. Then after school was over on Fridays, the girls and I drove north for about 225 miles. After a long week of the girls’ missing their dad and the demands of school, we hit the road again. We did not want to bypass a chance to spend time with him before he left for a year. I think we traveled for five good-bye weekends.

Friends like Family

Military families are unique and special friendships often develop, lasting over decades. One of the families that traveled the roads along side during these days were Steve, Leigh, and their sever-month-old Lily Grace. My girls had their own personal living baby doll, which scared me at times! But Leigh loved it. They followed her wherever she went.  Having a baby, each week she packed everything but the kitchen sink. I tried to stuff a few surprises in our suitcases.  My girls needed tradition.  For Heaven sakes, it was Lily Grace’s first Easter. We were doing something with eggs!

“Uh, Karla…”

After lunch on Saturday, Leigh and Steve offered to take the girls to Toys-R-Us. Meanwhile, the girls’ dad and I went back to the hotel, so I could begin the preparation of three-dozen eggs.

As they entered the room a mishap was revealed. Leigh sheepishly confessed how they almost lost Rachel! “Karla, she was playing some new video game, and one of us asked her to stay there while we were in line. Steve left to get the car, and I finished paying and headed to meet him. I buckled in Lily Grace, and I heard Lindsey clicking the seat belt.  Steve and I turned to look at each other at the same time and yelled, ‘Where is Rachel?’ Steve flew back inside, and there she stood where we told her.” She gave a nervous giggle and added, “Karla, I don’t think she even had a clue that we had left the store!”

Heading Home Again

Driving home late that sad Sunday afternoon, many thoughts wander through my mind. I began laughing over the forgotten clothes left in the hotel room and Rachel almost being forgotten! Then my mind drifted to my attempts at comforting a new mom. She was shocked that bathing suits don’t fit like they did before giving birth! I saddened over how I had to distract my two proud daughters from seeing the angry protesters outside the army post gates.

I found myself grinning again at the thought of my girls helping Leigh and playing with Lily Grace. Giggling, my mind drifted to the stickers the girls stuck not only on the two dozen, pre-boiled eggs but on the hotel furniture as well. Then, I laughed out loud at myself for struggling to blow out those egg yolks into the toilet, which left me staggering light-headedly down for hours! I shook my head at the thought of stains left on the carpet from paint.  All because I thought egg dye would be too messy!

Finally, I took a deep breath and wondered if we would be packing up for the upcoming weekend.

–Karla