jesus – The Great Kaysby

It’s More Than One Day…

I have been thinking of the right words to describe Easter 2026. All day yesterday, I felt like I was supposed to post something like, “Hallelujah, He is Risen!” or “Happy Easter!” However, I found myself struggling to express those sentiments, and today, as I was doing my daily devotion, I figured out why. Easter is more than one day.

For Catholics like me, Easter begins with the preparation period of Lent starting with Ash Wednesday. I look at Lent as the warm-up, the pre-game show, or self-reflection that comes before a big game, performance, or period of self-growth. It is a time to prepare for what is to come by revisiting the miracles that Jesus performed, the obstacles and temptations he encountered, and his humanity; it is a time that gets us ready mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically (we do a lot of sit, kneel, stand Catholic Cardio) for Holy Week.

Holy Week is like the final countdown to Easter. Beginning on Holy Thursday, we remember the washing of the feet and The Last Supper. This year I experienced the most beautiful recreation of these events. At the Mass we attended, some of those who had their feet washed were then the Eucharistic Ministers. I could not think of a more perfect way to show being like one of the Apostles tasked with spreading the Good News of Jesus. Then on Good Friday, we returned to Mass. Our Good Friday service is very different than a typical Mass as it consists of the Liturgy of the Word, Adoration of the Cross, and a Communion Service. Hearing the Passion on Good Friday is always moving as it is an eloquent portrayal of the humanity and divinity that Jesus experienced in his final hours. Also, having just a moment to personally reflect at the foot of the cross is always moving. If you open your heart to adoration and kneeling before the cross, then the Holy Spirit will fill your heart with the love and light of Jesus. Even if you have committed the darkest sin, you can ask God for forgiveness in your final moments and experience all that He has to offer. Not sure? Look up Saint Dismas. Dark Saturday as it is sometimes called follows Good Friday. On this night we celebrate the Easter Vigil, and even if you are not Catholic (or even religious for that matter), I recommend you attend this Mass. It covers everything from the beginning and encompasses the promises of the Resurrection beautifully. The Mass even begins in the dark and slowly transitions to light as the Mass progresses much like the return of the King.

Obviously Easter Sunday follows, and most people are familiar with what happened on the Third Day. Hence all of the “He Is Risen” posts that were made yesterday. But what happens after? In the Catholic Church (and some other Western Churches), the celebration of Easter has just begun. The week following is called The Octave of Easter, and each day celebrates a portion of the Resurrection and subsequent events. As an example, today highlighted Mary Magdalene and how she ran to spread the joyous news after seeing that Jesus was alive. While I read tonight, my attention kept being drawn to the “she ran” portion. When is the last time that you literally ran to tell someone about Jesus? Me? Never. I only run if I’m being chased. Along the same line, when is the last time you symbolically ran to tell someone about Jesus? There was a time when I never would have blogged, posted, or talked to others about my faith. Yet here I am, laying it all out on the line. Could it lose me followers? Maybe. But is an earthly loss worth being honest about who I am? Absolutely! I look forward to the remainder of the events chronicled during the Octave of Easter and on through Pentecost as that is truly the conclusion of Easter.

What is the meaning of sharing how Easter is more than one day? One, I would love to see more people (myself included) attest to the power of the Resurrection all of the time. Two, I want people to realize that Easter starts with a day, but it is actually a full season of rejoicing. Go forth to love and serve the Lord all year long!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

PS…for those who are like me and have experienced periods of doubt, questions that others may not ask about the Gospels, and an opportunity of judgement free reflection on the works of Jesus, checkout the following titles on Amazon by yours truly: Matthew & Me, Making Your Mark, Life Lessons with Luke, and Journeying with John.

New Year, Now What?

It’s a New Year! One of the first things that you are inundated with at the start of any year is an abundance of ads, videos, podcasts, etc to help you make this the best year yet! Another thing you see in abundance is posts from people (who you may or may not know because let’s face it so many are sponsored ads) sharing their resolutions. In many ways it is as though culture is pushing you to make some sort of groundbreaking change because of the new year. But what about those of us who are having a hard time reflecting? What about those of us who need more than a day to think about the trajectory of our next year, five years, ten years, etc?

Some of us just need a couple of days to breathe. If that is your next best step, then that is okay.

Personally, I have not written any goals for 2026 yet. I have reflected on all of the things that brought me joy in 2025. In fact, during 2025, I kept a “Joy Jar.” Most of the time (sometimes I forgot) when something brought me joy, I wrote it down on a scrap of paper and put it in the jar. It was really cool to spend time reviewing all of my moments of joy! Plus, it illustrated what things bring me the most joy. That’s pretty cool knowledge to have!

So knowing what brings me joy, why am I procrastinating on making goals? Simple. I’m not sure what I want my goals to be yet. I know what brings me joy, and I generally know my God-given purpose in life. I also know that there are about 1.7 million things that I would like to do. However, what I need to time to reflect on before setting goals is which of those things I like to do will actually support a bigger purpose. Spoiler, my love of “brain candy” phone games is 100% not supporting my bigger purpose. Facts.

Knowing I’m a little all over the place, what’s next for me?

Pray on it. No matter your faith (feel free to use any of my books if you need to find faith), take time to pray over what truly matters in your life. Pray for your heart, mind, and soul to be opened.
Think about your RIGHT NOW WHY. What is the thing that currently gets you out of bed even when you’ve only had two hours of sleep? What can you do in the next 90 days to fuel that RIGHT NOW WHY?
Visualize what you want your life to look like a year from now. On December 31, 2026, do you want to look back and go “Damn, I did a lot of cool things and am closer to my dreams!” or do you want to go, “Crap. Another year gone and nothing has changed.”
Revisit the dreams you have let go. Maybe you were writing a book that you’ve yet to finish (ME!), or maybe you have wanted to start a podcast. Are these things you really want in life or were they fleeting in a moment? Learning to distinguish lifelong dreams from flights of fancy is a BIG step!
Think about who will be impacted by your dreams coming true! What do you want them to take away from watching you go for your dreams?
When the time is right (within reason, like don’t want until November), write down your goal. Then break it into benchmarks with dates. Remember, a goal without a deadline is just a pipe dream! Also, it is okay if the date changes as long as you don’t give up!
Lastly, as you are working on your goals, remember it is normal if they are not easy or popular. Most things worth working for take hard work, determination, and may be viewed as strange. Do not let what others think stop you from achieving what you have been put on this earth to achieve. YOU CAN DO IT!

Guess it is time for me to take my own advice! Tomorrow, I’m going to get to work!

What about you? Do you know what your next steps are?

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby

And Then There Were Five…

A little over a year ago, I began collaborating with Letters & Lore – a small husband and wife owned publishing company – on a little project called Matthew & Me. The idea was to create a devotional over the Gospel of Matthew that looked at the scriptures from a different point of view. The desired POV was from that of a sinner, someone who has lapsed in faith, and someone who had a lot of questions about the Gospels that maybe…just maybe…they were afraid to ask anyone they knew. From there the project spawned four more publications: Making Your Mark, Life Lessons with Luke, A Second Act with Acts, and Journeying with John. It was never intended for there to be five different publications, but you know how it is when God opens a window…sometimes you just jump through it without knowing what might happen!

During the publishing process, one of my favorite parts was creating the covers. I didn’t realize it until the third publication, but I had unintentionally given each cover and the pictures inside a theme that matches one of the four elements. When I got to thinking about what each cover represented, I realized that these matches were no accident. They were divine intention for what each Gospel means to me. Let me break it down:

Matthew – Air – the predominant feature of the cover is the sky. Much like the air we breathe, the Gospel of Matthew is poetic with a story telling nature similar to life giving breath.
Mark – Nature – the predominant feature of this cover is a meadow with trees on the edge. Like many things in nature, the Gospel of Mark is simplistic in word, but said words provide strong roots for the foundation of faith in a way that anyone can find theirselves in them.
Luke – Water – the Gospel of Luke is expansive and flowy in its words. This Gospel tells the narrative in a calm and peaceful way much like the daily flow of tides in the sea. Since it is a direct companion, A Second Act with Acts utilizes this same theme.
John – Fire – the Gospel of John makes you run a marathon of emotions, and it doesn’t hold back any punches. With John you get a raw Gospel that isn’t flowery and serene. It is impactul and motivating and lights a fire from the Holy Spirit within you! The call to action is the strongest in this Gospel!

Going into the project, I thought that the Gospel of Matthew was my favorite. However, after this intense deep dive through all four, I have found that all of them have a different purpose for different seasons of my life while all reminding of the same basics of my faith. This journey has had a lasting impact on me, and I am thankful to Letters & Lore for the opportunity to have this collaboration. You can checkout the devotionals and all of their other publications here. Side note, as a mama, I’m proud that LilKsby has also helped them with a couple of publications! Five year olds are super fun!!!

Now that this journey is complete, I can’t see what is next for me!

XOXO,

The Great Kaysby