Easter comes every year, for both the religious and the secular folks. For some it might be just a date on the calendar. For those in Christian traditions, it's the resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion. For others, it's all Easter bunnies, hidden eggs, chocolate, & family feasts. For still others, it's the coming of spring with nature waking up. For many, it is the mix of all.
From the nature side, Easter is often the world outside your window and the start of Spring: unexpected blooms popping from the ground, the arrival of bird songs at dawn, mud prints from little feet on your kitchen tiles, and sunbeams cascading through your windows earlier than they did the week before. Spring has this quiet way of insisting that life keeps going, even after the meanest of cold seasons... which this year felt true, for sure.
The cyclical nature of ✨nature✨ is a comfort in the way it circles and returns each year. We can count on it. The freshness of the rebirth of warmer weather and longer days can be a comfort--especially for anyone who struggles with seasonal affective disorder and the long, dark, gray days of winter. We are waking up again. Warming up again.
I find definite comfort and a "coming to life again" during this rebirth season of Spring and Eastertime. There is an additional comfort to that, especially in a time where our national and global headlines can feel heavy. Whether it's political, social, humanitarian, economic, or climate/environmental news, we as a planet of people are living in a time where the many stories can feel overwhelming and exhausting
And yet, even as the TV ticker at the bottom of the news telecast scrolls by with one hard story after another, outside our windows there is a different headline is running. The circle of nature shows consistency, rebirth, and the resilience of nature. People are resilient too. This is evident in the slow, hopeful work that we all do to repair and restore what is broken, what needs healing, what needs attention. That is the message in the biblical story of resurrection and Easter, but it also is the message in every good news story of conservation and environmental stewardship. Regeneration and restoration are real.
For those who are religious, Lent is the 40 day observation prior to Easter to focus on prayer, fasting, reflection, giving something up, or doing something extra. Perhaps this Easter, regardless of whether you are religious or not, we all could celebrate in a similar way, honoring the cycles of life and countering the the weight of the news we hear. Perhaps this Easter we all do something to lift ourselves up, showcase the hope, and do something meaningful outside ourself. Doing it for our hearts, our homes, our community, our planet. A random act of kindness, if you will:
- Mend one thing.
- Plant one thing.
- Protect one thing.
- Reuse one thing rather than throw it away.
- Write a letter to someone to show how they made a difference in your life.
- Share positive messages on social media to purposely make someone's day.
- Take food to someone who could use a helping hand.
- Volunteer your time helping to beautify a park, pick up sticks from the winter, serve food at a homeless center, read to others at a community center or school.
- Donate to a cause that helps others.
We can’t fix every headline or heal every hurt, but we can choose to be part of the quiet, local restoration that happens in ordinary places with ordinary people. One small deed, one planted seed, one well-written read sharing gratitude may serve as the small, simple act of repair that says, “I see the brokenness, and I’m still choosing hope.”
Imagine a world if we all did that, and these small gifts lined up side by side, across neighborhoods and nations. They would collectively add up to something bigger than any one of us individually. The outcome would be the creation of a community that keeps showing up for each other and for the Earth, again and again, just like Spring.
