Easter Sunday

This was one of my favorite days in a long time.

Nothing huge happened. Nobody won the lottery. No life-changing announcement. No big vacation. It was just a really good Easter Sunday.

I think part of what made it so good was that Abbey and I started the day on good terms. That honestly changes everything. We had a plan, knew what we were doing, and the day had structure to it without feeling rigid.

We started the morning at our house doing Easter with the kids.

Easter baskets. Egg hunt. Candy everywhere.

Just slow enough to enjoy it without feeling chaotic.

Then we got ready and headed over to Abbey’s parents’ house for brunch. Breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, family hanging around talking while Conference was on. The kind of thing that would sound boring written out but somehow feels really meaningful while you’re in it.

One of the moments I don’t want to forget was hearing Consider the Lilies open the Sunday morning session.

That song hits me every time.

It’s the song my dad requested at his funeral, so whenever it comes on, it carries weight for me that’s hard to explain unless you’ve got songs like that in your own life too.

We watched Conference for a few hours, and honestly this Conference felt different to me.

I left feeling inspired, but not in the usual “I should do more” kind of way.

More like: I want to live in a way that actually inspires the people around me.

Not millions of people from a pulpit. Just the people close to me.

Family. Friends. Coworkers. Neighbors.

I think we underestimate how much our example affects other people. I’ve noticed over the years that people are constantly watching each other for cues on how to live, how to act, how seriously to take life, faith, family, work, all of it.

The older I get, the more I realize we all quietly influence each other.

After Conference, we celebrated Beau’s birthday and gave him presents. Abbey’s parents gave me a few birthday gifts too, which was really nice of them.

Then we went outside and played pickleball.

I got absolutely cooked by the sun. Early spring UV is deceptive. You think, “I’ll be fine,” and then later that night your forehead feels radioactive.

But being outside felt amazing.

Playing pickleball. Moving around. Laughing. Beau wanting to play. Kids running around. Everybody in a good mood.

At one point I sat down in a chair and the kids just came over and cuddled with me while Conference was still on in the background.

That moment stuck with me more than anything else that day.

I think part of it is that when I’m around my kids during the times of day where I actually have energy and feel good mentally, everything changes. I’m more patient. More playful. More present.

And I think they feel that too.

Sometimes as a dad you realize your kids aren’t necessarily asking for Disneyland. They mostly just want access to you.

Later that afternoon we stopped by my mom’s house for a little bit on the way home and said hi.

Then we got home and made filet steaks and vegetables for dinner, which was unbelievable. Brownies and ice cream afterward too.

Kids got down to bed at a decent hour.

Abbey and I watched a show together.

Just a good day.

Not perfect. Not movie-perfect. Just full in the kind of way that gives you energy instead of taking it away.

Honestly, I think the day reminded me that happiness for me usually comes from balancing the things I love instead of over-optimizing one thing at the expense of everything else.

Faith. Family. Good food. Getting outside. Movement. A little social time. Time with my wife. Time with my kids.

When those things exist together in the same day, life feels right.

I also think days like this remind me that you appreciate good days partly because hard days exist too.

You can’t really appreciate sweet without salty.

Marriage isn’t happy every day. Parenting isn’t easy every day. Life isn’t smooth every day.

But that contrast is what gives good days their weight.

And every once in a while, you have a day where everything just clicks a little more than normal.

This was one of those days.