A Different Easter

Easter is one of my favorite holidays, after Christmas. I love the spring colors, the reminder of the resurrection, the hope for rebirth and renewal. Not to mention, I love the bright colors associated with the holiday. Last year, we had fifteen people filling our home to the brim with laughter and fellowship.

Past Celebrations

Easter is the only holiday I’ve ever spent away from home. Eleven years ago, I celebrated holy week on the streets of Paris, France. I even got to visit Notre Dame during holy week, it was a powerful experience. I also visited the Palace of Versailles during that trip. The gardens on the palace grounds are breathtakingly beautiful.

Disclaimer: I wasn’t completely alone that year, my brother was one of my travel companions.

The trip away also helped me appreciate the spring holiday more and to start new traditions centered around the holiday. Once I was married, I began hosting Easter lunch at our home.

Today’s Celebrations

This Easter is different. The world is different, for the first time in my lifetime the entire world is undergoing a shared experience… coronavirus and quarantine. We’re mourning the lives that were lost to the virus, praying for those who are sick, and for all the essential employees who are busy keeping our world running. For me, this means the celebration is simpler, it’s basic, it isn’t meticulously planned, the annual lunch is smaller. I didn’t purchase a fun Easter outfit, the traditional Easter eggs were made only from ingredients in my kitchen. They are delicious, but lack their regular pizzazz! And, almost didn’t happen.

The simplicity of celebration, allows us to focus on the day’s meanings and the resurrection and celebrating with family (over Facetime). I hope you spent the day away from social media and a few minutes of the day outdoors. Staying home this year is our gift to humanity. We are giving humanity the opportunity to heal and our lives the chance to return to normal. The longer we resist quarantine, the longer the virus controls our lives.

Easter Future

The celebrations will return next year, the world will resume, our lives will never be the same but they will continue. Next year, my dining room will be full again, the traditional peanut butter eggs will be the best they’ve ever been, I’ll have an amazing new holiday dress, and we’ll all get to return to church. Life will return.

We’ll share the story of Easter 2020 and the year 2020 for the rest of our lives. Quarantine has changed us, and just maybe if we’re lucky it’s changed us for the better. After all, all of humanity now has one shared experience that binds us to each other.