He has risen!  The bells tolled at the break of dawn early Easter Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.  

Sharon, the kids, and I entered the holiest site in all of Christianity where Jesus was crucified and buried. Three days later, Jesus was resurrected - at this very place.

On that early morning in Jerusalem, Easter revealed itself to us in all of its glory as an authentic celebration of re-birth, renewal, and redemption.

Our family served - all of us really - as diplomats for 11 years at the U.S. Embassy in Israel.  During the early years of the Obama administration, I was the Senior Advisor to the Special Envoy for Middle East Peace. I worked every day to minimize conflict between Israelis and Palestinians by building economic opportunities in support of an eventual peace.

But the commitment to serve our nation in the Holy Land was also a blessing for our family.  To this day, we carry indelible memories and extraordinary experiences in our hearts.

The kids celebrated first communion at The Upper Room, the traditional site of the Last Supper.

We walked The Stations of the Cross, a mini pilgrimage in the Old City which recalls Christ's last day.

We were overwhelmed by the beauty of Easter hymns, sung in Arabic by Palestinian Christians.

Those many Easter Sundays in Jerusalem represented, for our family, that real hope for peace, the awe of resurrection, and the gift of salvation for humanity.

May you and your loved ones be blessed this Easter Sunday for He has risen!

-- Dave