It’s Easter weekend. One that I didn’t realize would be difficult for me until we started attending a new church full of families. Our first Easter Sunday there, we were a little late (as usual) and squeezed in on the end of a row, right next to a large family. Dad on the other end of the row, mom holding a sweet little pink clad baby, several other kids in between and the little boy, probably about five years old, directly on my right. I wasn’t prepared. His little voice belting out “He arose! He arose! Hallelujah Christ rose!” had me frantically swallowing tears. Well hello there random trigger right in the middle of church.
Each year, even though I’m a little more prepared for it, Easter still gets me. It pricks me to watch my nieces and nephews search for Easter eggs. I get teary about the new mom in her matching dress with her fresh newborn at church. I often run across little things I would love to put into my child’s Easter basket. We often think of Christmastime as the time to feel left out but in my experience, Easter is just the same. So it’s here again and what am I doing about it?
This month, our thrive tip is LOOK FOR LIFE and that’s just what I’m doing this weekend. A couple years ago, I began filling an Easter basket for my husband and I. Little treats and fun things to do like watercolors and flower seeds are a welcome addition to the weekend, helping me acknowledge the little family I do have. And this year, I’m focusing our basket on my fur babies! Also, this year, I’m recognizing that in order to make it through Easter church service with any kind of decorum, I need to change something. So I asked my church bestie, who usually sits on the opposite side of the sanctuary from all the cute families, to save me a seat next to her. Far away from the majority of the little kids in bow ties and frilly socks. And already, I am anticipating a better day!
Holidays can be especially difficult times to look for life. If you’re in a place this Easter where the best you can do is put on yellow socks and watch Netflix, that’s okay! But I hope that you can see the life that is already around you, small things like sunshine and big things like your fur babies. And I hope that this Easter hurts a little less than the last one.
Casey Watkins has been married to her IT handyman for ten years. Together, they live in an old house on the east side of Indianapolis with their cats, Charlie and Hermione. In their nine years of infertility, they’ve renovated their house, visited Iceland and baked a lot of cake. You can read more about Casey on her Instagram, chasing_cozy!