Occasionally I have an internal battle where I struggle with the desire to have family get-togethers at my house (or even attend them) to celebrate major life milestones or holidays.

It’s a lot of work to be social.

It’s a lot of physical effort to invite guests, gather RSVPs, clean the house, and prepare a meal. Not to mention, making your personal appearance worthy of a commemorative photograph.

Talking yourself through the reasons why you’re going through all of this effort to get together with your family and friends can sometimes be mentally taxing. Especially if you’re like me and struggle with anxiety and depression on top of every day work and family requirements.

Don’t get me wrong – I absolutely love spending time with my family and friends. I am an extrovert after all. But sometimes the energy that it takes to do it all just seems like more than I’m personally capable of mustering up in my exhaustion of working motherhood.

Friends, I share all this to say, it is so very important that you take time to interact with your family and friends on a semi-regular basis. God gave us our people to bring joy to our lives. It is good for the soul to be around your people. You may think that it is energy draining to be social but in reality, it is life-giving. I encourage you today and every day to remember that your friends and family are the most important blessings in your life.

I have many blessings in my life and I’m so thankful that several of them got to spend time with me on this beautiful Easter Sunday. The most precious of which are my supportive husband, Ryan, and sweet angel baby, Katheryn. It was worth every second of preparation that we contributed to our baby’s first Easter celebration.

We attended church for the first time since she was baptized last summer. We napped. We hung her baby swing in the tree in the backyard. We cooked lunch, including an amazing smoked ham with peach pomegranate glaze that Ryan prepared on his Big Green Egg. When our people gathered, we chatted with the adults and played with the kids. We loved every minute of the day.

I hope you enjoyed your day as much as we did. What did your family do for this glorious Easter? Please share with me in the comments below.