Grateful for More than Colored Eggs and Chocolate Bunnies

This is a time of year when many holidays come together. You have Holi, Ramadan, Passover, Palm Sunday, and Easter to name just a few. For people of many faiths, there are celebrations aplenty with family, friends, and wonderful traditions—often filled with great food.

I love the color and the pageantry of all of it. I love the different beliefs that make our world so interesting in its diversity and connections. The mosaic of thought and faith I find exhilarating, as is the history and traditions of people’s faiths.

There are times when I think we lose sight of the importance of these holidays in uniting us as communities. The tokens and rituals help to bind us together. They let us know we are not alone, that there are people just like us who believe what we believe. That helps us know that we can celebrate in a safe place and feel of others’ support.

In our family, the big tradition at this time of year is Easter Sunday. That includes a spiritual tradition of attending a service in our faith that is important, and the grandkids love the Easter egg hunt! It is a mad dash to find all the hidden colorful eggs filled with prizes and candy, and then it’s a dash to consume all the treats. We take videos and photos to remember the excitement, and years later we smile again when they randomly pop up as memories on our phones or social media feeds.

Of course, it is never lost on me that this time of year is about more than colored eggs and chocolate bunnies. It is about family being together and sharing moments of joy and fun and food and faith. I never want to take that for granted. When it is all said and done in this life, relationships are all that matter: being with the people we care about and love. It’s about those we get to serve and those who care and serve us. I hope to be remembered as someone who treasured relationships.

So, my thought for this week is that the rituals of our celebrations are important: The festive meals, the egg hunts, the exchange of gift baskets. But don’t let rituals get in the way of treasuring the moments you have together. Make sure to stop and do as my dear friend Ayse Birsel often reminds me to do: “Let’s take time to just enjoy this moment.”

This holiday weekend, I hope you find yourself engaged in something wonderful, something magical, something that is faith-building as well as fun. Chase after those hidden eggs, eat a chocolate bunny or two, and don’t hesitate to snack on a few of those little yellow marshmallow Peeps. That’s all good stuff. Just don’t forget to take a moment to offer up some gratitude for the people you are with. That’s key.

I would love to hear about some of your family traditions. What keeps your relationships strong and meaningful?

Love + gratitude,

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