WAS IT A HOLLOW OR SOLID CHOCOLATE BUNNY THAT DIED ON THE CROSS FOR ME?

I have to admit that I'm struggling this year with how to remind our girls of the huge significance that the Easter holiday is in the life of a Christ follower.  Being teenagers surrounded by the bunnies and chocolate (and my contribution to the matter!), I'm not quite sure they grasp the incredible love story that unfolded that Good Friday and Easter morning.  Yes, they know the story, and yes they've seen clips of The Passion, but how do you help it be real in their lives?  I fear they expect the Easter basket full of candy and even an Easter gift but why?  What is the significance in all of that?  Yes, we definitely have included gifts in their baskets each year but traditionally, they are of christian influence.  A devotion book, a new Bible...things along those lines.  But we can only buy them so many Bibles and devotion books seem to get lost in the dark corners of their bedrooms and all that's left is all of the chocolate and candy and eggs.  I'm not opposed to the candy...I actually like the candy (until I can't button my jeans!) but that's what I shop the most for and the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Easter baskets.  I'm embarrassed and tend to feel a little like Peter denying Christ, all for the sake of a bunny and chocolate. 

I had Mike get our Easter "decorations" down from the a

ttic over the weekend. Sadly, all that's in there are plastic eggs, baskets and some bunny decorations.  I think I'll get rid of all the decorations because the one thing in there that matters the most is a wooden cross that Shelby made years ago with her own tool kit :)  She couldn't have been very old..under 10 for sure.  But she wanted to do something for Easter so she got two pieces of wood, 2 nails and a crayon and

made this cross.  She wrote on it "he is not here for he is rissun". 

 She had a desire to do that...she wanted to make something of significance in remembrance of Christ. I can't begin to tell you how much that cross means to me, let alone how much the cross means to me.  Unfortunately I feel that over the years that they've grown I have taken for granted that "the church" will remind them of the significance of Easter, as if I too have outgrown talking about it with them.  So as I type this, it's becoming clear what needs to be done.  Whether they think it's silly or ridiculous, I truly think we need to sit down and discuss the Easter story.  Not a big long dissertation, but what it means to each of them, to me & Mike, and how important this event is in the life of a christian.  I can't go another Easter season assuming that they remember Christ's dying and resurrection on their own.  How will it ever become meaningful in their life if it's not spoken of meaningfully in my own life?

The Bible study that I'm currently going through has me thinking of all sorts of things and I'm trying to go through it all w/o making it a facebook status or a blog entry because I could easily do that! But this is something for me to deal with and sort through and I guess this Easter issue is one thing that needs handled a little differently.  By the way, the study I'm doing is called "One Month to Live" by Kerry & Chris Shook.  How would I live my life differently if I knew there was only month left to live?  How do I know that I don't have but one month to live?  And what do I want to truly make sure that my girls and my husband know and remember about me?  Heavy stuff, but it's causing a lot of discussion w/God and a lot of looking at myself so hopefully you will be able to see that I'm trying to change some things and make how I live my life actually worth the dash that is between my birth and death day...