A woman who struggles with her strained relationship with her mother-in-law dreads the upcoming Easter celebration with her husband’s family. While she enjoys the beauty of Easter, spending it with her mother-in-law, Cynthia, always feels uncomfortable, as she’s never quite measured up in Cynthia’s eyes. After some reluctant convincing from her husband, Dave, she agrees to go to his family’s house, hoping it will be easier than staying at home, where reminders of what they don’t have—children—linger.A woman who struggles with her strained relationship with her mother-in-law dreads the upcoming Easter celebration with her husband’s family. While she enjoys the beauty of Easter, spending it with her mother-in-law, Cynthia, always feels uncomfortable, as she’s never quite measured up in Cynthia’s eyes. After some reluctant convincing from her husband, Dave, she agrees to go to his family’s house, hoping it will be easier than staying at home, where reminders of what they don’t have—children—linger.
Once at the house, Ava quietly draws while the tension in the air is palpable. She presents a picture of a family holding hands—depicting a man with brown hair and green eyes, just like Dave. The woman is shaken. Later, while trying to find the child’s belongings, she stumbles upon a photo of her husband with a woman who looks remarkably like Ava’s mother. Shocked, she confronts Dave, who, to her surprise, doesn’t deny that Ava could be his daughter. Before they can process this new revelation, Cynthia harshly dismisses the situation, but Dave stands firm, acknowledging the truth.As the family deals with the bombshell, the doorbell rings. Ava’s mother, Daisy, arrives, explaining that she saw Ava waiting for Dave at the church and knew where to find her. Daisy reveals that Ava has always asked about her father, and that she had tried to contact Dave in the past, but Cynthia had blocked her attempts. The tension finally boils over as Cynthia defends her actions, but Daisy firmly stands her ground, revealing that she did what she did to protect Ava, not Dave.
Ava, who had been quietly drawing, comes downstairs and runs straight to Daisy, calling her “Mommy.” Dave, overwhelmed with emotion, confesses that he never knew about Ava. Daisy responds, gently, “You do now.” The situation is still charged with emotion, but a sense of clarity begins to form.Cynthia, after much resistance, finally relents. She acknowledges that although the family isn’t what she imagined, it’s real. Ava, with her innocent drawing of the entire family, even includes Cynthia. In a quiet moment, Cynthia speaks up, saying, “You can stay. All of you. It’s Easter. And I guess… even the messiest families deserve to be together.”The story ends with a sense of healing and new beginnings, as the woman realizes that, even though their family didn’t start the way they expected, it’s real, it’s theirs, and despite the complexities, she’s found a new piece of her heart she didn’t even know was missing.
