In February, we made a trip to IKEA and, to our surprise, found store-brand chocolate Easter bunnies. True to brand, the bunnies came in three pieces to be assembled at home. We placed the packaged bunnies in our fridge to keep until Easter, which seemed eons away. And with that small, peculiar purchase, we thought we were WAY ahead of the holiday planning game. Boy, were we wrong!

Nothing could have prepared us for this first holiday in the era of social distancing. The IKEA bunny did, however, spark our actual Easter planning. We were quick to buy the kids’ baskets, ceramic eggs ready to paint, plastic eggs ready to hide and all the candy. I mean, all the candy! But we knew this day would not be shared, at least in person, with grandmas and grandpas and cousins and uncles and aunts. FaceTime can only do so much when you’ve missed people for weeks. Yes, we called and we shared pictures…but the day carried some difficulty and lingering uncertainty. And that’s OK. It’s OK because the children woke up and gasped at their baskets. They ran and found eggs. They ate way too much chocolate, and we ate way too much food. We’re lucky. Everyone we called is safe and healthy and the kids remain unaware of the stress and anxiety of the current environment. It’s not, necessarily, the holiday for sitting around and telling everyone why they’re thankful, but maybe this year it is. We are indeed thankful for all this and more.

“Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.” (Eccl. 7:9)

Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Stay Safe. — Casa Almanza