Easter Flowers for Luke

Yesterday I spent the afternoon working in our yard. I weeded the entire flowerbed in the front yard in preparation for planting flowers. Then I planted one-hundred-thirty-nine bulbs. That's 139! That's also 139 holes that I dug. My hand is so sore from shoving the shovel into the firm dirt that many times! Hopefully it will be worth it. If my bulbs survive the cold winter my yard will be full of flowers like these:

crocus

daffodils

more tulips

allium

I can't wait until spring!

In a way, my spring flowers are to commemorate Luke.

When I spoke at Luke's funeral I shared some of the following thoughts. Anyone that know's me knows that asking "What's your favorite (insert noun here)?" is always a question asked in vain. I like a variety of foods, a variety of ice cream flavors, a variety of colors, a variety of music genres, a variety of flowers, etc. You name it, I probably won't have a favorite. Until now. Now I have a favorite holiday.

Easter. I love Easter. I love that this holiday is a day to celebrate the atonement and resurrection of Christ.

Because the scriptures teach that "no unclean thing can dwell with God" (1 Nephi 10:21) I know that I need to utilize Christ's atonement in order to be with my son again. I know that through Christ's atonement I can be made clean and pure. I love that Easter is a time to rejoice in this and remember that His atonement will allow me to live with Him and with Luke again one day.

The scriptures also teach of Christ's resurrection. Luke 24:34 reads, "...The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." The book of Matthew also teaches of the resurrection of the saints. "And the graves were opened; and the bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many" (Matt 27:52-53). I know that one day there will be a time that all are resurrected like the saints of old. I look forward to that glorious day that my son's body will have life in it again.

My spring flowers will be a reminder of this resurrection, of my son, and of the Son of God.