Today is Easter and I’ve got to say, it’s an especially sweet one to me. We chose to name our daughter Lydia Faith before she was born; before we knew she had Down syndrome. Each of our kids has a church song with their name in it that we refer to as “their” song, just for fun. Lydia’s song goes with her middle name: Faith. One night when Lydia was in the NICU, I came home for a quick dinner & to say goodnight to the boys, and found that Dan had put the first line of Lydie’s song up on our letter board. It’s meant as a metaphor to teach children about believing in things you can’t see, but in that moment it was more than that. It was a rallying cry, and an expression of hope and trust in the Savior. For a bit after Lydia’s diagnosis, our world was dark and very painful. There are still moments like that. Fear of the future, concerns about her health, heartbreak over the challenges she faces... But this morning as I sat with my boys around me and Lydia on my lap and we talked about the beauty and significance of Christ’s Atonement and resurrection I just felt so thankful. This life has challenges, some of which are very hard, but this life is not all there is. Because of Him, the sun does rise. Because of Him, one day my daughter’s body will be whole; and until then we are given hope and grace and beautiful learning experiences to get us through. I’m so grateful for that. I know He lives and that through Him we can all live—perfect, whole, and healed in all ways, again. Happy Easter.