It’s Resurrection (or Easter) Sunday here for our family, and with a husband who works as the Director of Traditional Music at a local United Methodist Church, it’s been a busy week for him and the rest of the church staff. It means we haven’t seen a lot of him here at home, and, so, as the morning services came to their celebratory end shortly after noon today, our family has enjoyed some much-needed quieter time today, all of us in the same space this afternoon. But first, there were some of the traditional Easter morning things for me and the girls, starting with my attending the sunrise service at the church where my husband serves. Because of the early hour of the service, I knew my girls wouldn’t miss me, and also I would have plenty of time to put together the traditional Easter baskets for each of them when I got home and had poured myself a steaming mug of coffee.
See, here’s the thing about me, gift-giving is one of my love languages. So, any time there’s an opportunity to give someone a gift, especially my family, I am thrilled to do so. And after a sunrise service celebrating the empty tomb and the new life in Jesus in light of the Resurrection, I was content to sit in the quiet of our living space and arrange paper grasses and personalized gifts for each girl. Truly, it brings me such a deep sense of joy to do just this kind of task, and, when I’m done, I eagerly anticipate their coming down the stairs to discover their gifts. These are the beautiful and quiet moments of life that feed my soul after the busyness of a week wherein we have had little time together as a family.
The other favorite moment and opportunity was a family drive. For several days now our teenagers have been asking if we can take a late afternoon drive—windows down, spring breeze flowing through their hair and the car, favorite music playing in headphones while my husband and I chat and catch up in the front seats. We couldn’t make it happen yesterday and so I promised our girls it definitely would happen today. These are the days that spark joy in my heart and soul; I love when I can give my girls the gift of something they want to do. Sure, the Easter basket gifts are cool, too, but the gift of time and togetherness while each of us gets to do something that we enjoy—that is a delight. When you’re neurodivergent, sometimes being together but doing different things, or listening to different music in headphones, counts as togetherness.
And, so, today, I am deeply grateful for time spent with these two remarkable young women and my husband taking in the beauty of the Biltmore Estate here in Asheville, North Carolina. It was what my soul needed, perhaps even craved. There were incredible colors and blooms as well as sheep and their lambs. We are not the sort of family that hikes, and yet, we love the beauty of nature. For us, that comes just as well from the windows of our family vehicle as favorite songs fill their ears, their minds, their hearts. It brings me such joy to peer into the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of my teenagers, faces content with a small smile tugging at the corner of their mouths as the wind tousles their hair. I love that we can be separate and together at the same moment. I wouldn’t change that about us or them. It’s just right for our sweet and wonderful neurodivergent family.