Easter, Not Leaster

I have spent many Easters not exactly celebrating Easter. I used to have to work on Easter, a big family day in the restaurants. Not everyone can bust out a decent ham dinner for their family, so they would go out for brunch, family style dinners, etc. People all dressed up, whether they had been to church services or not, a lot of kids coming off a sugar buzz, you get the idea. Then for a few years I worked at a sports bar, and depending when Easter fell on a calendar, it could be a good day. Not everyone has family to spend the holiday with, or some just don’t want to spend it with their family. The past 10 years I had off on Easter, my boss saw that as a family day, and he kept the restaurant closed. I have been to baseball games on Easter, and most recently the last couple of years I volunteered serving or delivering meals on Easter with a local group that hosted a free gathering for those that have nowhere else to go for Easter.

This year is so different. I am not doing the volunteer thing, I don’t even think they are doing it. Which makes me sad, thinking of the hundreds of people that affects. People are not in the churches this year. The restaurants are closed, and there are no sports to watch. This virus has cast us adrift, as it were. My job is not open today, and it is needed day of rest for me, it has been a very physically tough week. But I am thankful for it. So today is a rest day, a Zelda Day as she and I will be spending the day together at home. No visiting family, and most people are in the same situation.

I am not overly religious, and I do not visit church more than a couple of times a year. I mean even many funerals have gotten away from being “church” events, so I don’t even get a mark for going then. But I am spiritual. I believe in God, and I believe that Jesus died for our sins. Today is a big day, the biggest day on the Christian calendar really. A day to celebrate the day He rose from the dead, a miracle and something we need in the spring to remind us of life, love and the things we get from our spiritual epicenter. People would go to church, and for that hour or so, share that sense of community. With that not being an option today, it is still a good time to celebrate Easter, but to do it in a more reflective way. Church, the actual building, is not where God lives, but where you gather to be around others. We can’t do that, but it will be ok, because God, and Jesus, live in your heart anyway. Church is just where you let them out to wander around for a few minutes each week.

Not everyone is going to have an easy Easter, but it doesn’t mean anything less because you didn’t hit up the Sunday morning services. Or the brunch buffet. I am not a huge fan of ham either, so I don’t feel like I am missing much there either. Make the most of your day with what, and who, you have around you. I just had a nice video chat with my BFF, Amy. She isn’t a big Easter celebration person either, but we had our own little “fellowship” together anyway. Look into your heart, that is where the worship begins, and where you will find the peace you are looking for.

Or you could just sit around and eat candy all day. That’s all good too, all bets are off this year.

*A side note, since I wasn’t out in many stores this year, I don’t have much candy around, but I also have not seen any Easter Grass. That doesn’t mean I am not thinking today, and every Easter, about my stepmom, Darlene, who cursed Easter basket grass every year. I join you Dar, in cursing it, because tradition is tradition. I miss you, and I miss you bitching about Easter Grass.