1. Jonah’s royal cuteness at the church’s egg hunt last Sunday…

Mmm! Jellybeans!

2. Painting faces (and arms!) at the egg hunt. It felt great to do something artistic again and the kids were so delightful!

(Only my son would think of asking for a snake that says “Hi!”)

3. I lost a pound last week. Which at first didn’t make me smile, because I thought I should’ve lost more. But then I picked up a pound of butter and realized that was gone from my body and Lord willing, it wouldn’t be coming back. And then I was OK. If it has to come off one measly pound at a time, so be it. Even at a snails’ pace, a year from now, I’ll be 52 pounds lighter.

4. Finishing this week’s column. It was a particularly hard write this week, so clicking “send” felt just wonderful!

5. Hearing that my sweet friend “H” delivered a healthy baby boy yesterday. He’s adorable and I get to go sneak a cuddle tonight or tomorrow!

6. Mom’s Night Out with some good friends last night. Always a great time, basking in estrogen instead of the flood of testosterone I’m bathed with daily!

7. Eating REAL food at MNO! I’d saved up almost a whole day’s worth of calories and I enjoyed every single crispy breaded bite! And then experienced bonus joy when I came home and entered what I ate and saw that I didn’t go over my daily allotment.

8. Jonah pausing while nursing himself to sleep last night, to smile contentedly and say “Mama…” before dozing off.

9. My friend Amy sharing with me the link to this adorable Resurrection Set craft ! As the creator of it says, we put up nativity sets at Christmas. How come no one has resurrection sets at Easter? So this week, we’re making one!

10. The following dialogue yesterday:

Eli, digging through his basket of candy after the church’s egg hunt: “Oh boy! I didn’t realize I got Reese’s cups!” (Reese’s are the holy grail of candy around our house.)

Zach, drooling, sans candy because he’s too old for egg hunts: “Oooh! I want one! I want one!”

Eli: “Nope.”

Zach, bargaining as always: “I’ll get you a police car on our Xbox driving game…”

Eli: “OK!” and hands over the candy.

Me, curious as to what’s involved in earning that game car: “So, what does it take for you to get a police car???”

Eli, without missing a beat: “You have to give your big brother a Reese’s cup…”

Spring seems to bring out the joy in us all. Christians celebrate a risen savior. Jews remember God’s faithfulness at Passover. Others simply celebrate the return of warm weather and the growing season.

It’s easy to understand how people throughout the ages have considered spring a miracle. Even in this age of knowledge and sophistication, most of us feel a sense of awe and reverence when the barren trees finally bud and the dead grass softens into a plush green carpet. The lovely birds have flown back to us, and their serenade draw us outdoors to soak up the sunshine that glows so warmly again.

We’ve decided to give gardening another try this summer, so we bought some flower and vegetable seeds and started them in little pots. It was amazing to hold those teensy, plain little seeds and realize the life hidden within them. It doesn’t seem possible that such a puny little thing, when buried, can become something a thousand times bigger and make more seeds of its own to continue on forever. Yet, it does. A little water, sunshine and loving care, and life takes over, expanding into what it was designed to be.

I believe that all of us are given at our creation a seed of something wonderful. And I do mean everyone; none are excluded. We must tread this dirty, tainted earth, trapped inside bodies that fail us, surrounded by weary people who often drag us down. But we all carry within a seed of something special. It should be our life’s mission to be brave enough to plant it, tend it, and let it grow.

We’ve been watching this season of American Idol, enjoying the progress these young contestants make each week, cheering them to use their gifts to the fullest. Sometimes we get to witness the moment that assurance overrides nervousness and the singer finally believes that he or she truly has what it takes to win. It’s beautiful to see a tiny bud of confidence bloom before our very eyes.

I think that’s why people enjoy shows like American Idol. We love to see ordinary people get discovered and watch the seed within them blossom. I think we were created to enjoy witnessing that.

It’s taken most of my life to be able to apply this truth to myself. I know my immediate family always believed in me, but constant beating down from others left me with a lingering self-doubt that I still battle more often than I care to admit. I hope my sons can grasp the truth of who they are while they are young, so they’ll have more time to do all they can with what they’ve got.

I can see some of the seeds tucked inside each of my sons. Zachary has a sensitive, compassionate spirit. He notices things about people that others dismiss, and is helpful and kind-hearted. He is a loyal and faithful friend.

Eli is quick-witted, verbally gifted, creative and dramatic. His imagination runs overtime, as does his energy. He wants to understand everything—now!—and is relentless in his pursuit of knowledge.

It’s too early to tell what’s hiding inside Jonah, but he is a happy, curious little cuddle-bug. I can’t wait to watch his personality fully emerge and discover who he was created to be.

All kids need to understand that they were created for greatness. I honestly believe that if more children understood that they, too, carry a seed of something wonderful, they wouldn’t turn to drugs or other destructive behaviors.

As parents, we’re the gardeners entrusted with our children’s souls, and what we find inside them might surprise us. It could be very different from what we’d have chosen for them ourselves.

Regardless, it’s our job to uncover, plant and nurture the seeds they were born with. If we do it right, one day we’ll feel much like we do today during this glorious change of seasons. We will sit back and marvel over the beauty that blossoms to bless the world.

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