Easter 2026 & The Renewal & Resilience of Nature In Springtime

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.

Happy Easter 2024

This weekend is Easter Weekend....if you are still looking for some last minute ways green your Easter scene, here are a few options for you. (Pro-tip #1--plastic grass, in not recyclable! If you have it, save and reuse it. Otherwise, find the crinkled paper version!!)

• Green Child Magazine's 50 Eco-Friendly Easter Basket Fillers
• Joyfy's Green Easter: Easy Ways to Be Environmentally Friendly
• Bounty Parents' Ditch the Egg-cess! 10 Ways to Enjoy a Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Easter
• Puddles & Pines' Tips For a More Eco-Friendly Easter

Additionally, here this Easter weekend, whether you celebrate the religious side or the hippity-hop Easter bunny side Easter, may this weekend and spring bring you joy. Spend a little time out there in nature too. Find, see, and smell the flowers.

Images created at canva.com

Happy Easter

 For those of you who celebrate Easter, may this spring season and your holiday be a joyous one.

"Spring adds new life and new joy to all that is." - Jessica Harrelson

Image from Canva.com

Holidays Abound

Surprisingly, it is not often when Easter Sunday, the eight days of Passover, and the month of Ramadan all overlap. 

This year they do:

• Easter: April 17th
• Passover: April 15th--23rd
• Ramadan: April 2nd--May 2nd

The reason for this is in part due to Ramadan being the 9th month on the Islamic lunar calendar. Additionally, the Hebrew calendar follows a lunar calendar but adds a 13th month in 7 out of 19 years to meet up with the Gregorian/solar calendar that we all use to follow January to December. With these different calendars at play, the simultaneous timing of major holidays within the sacred traditions Christian, Jewish, and Islam religions only happens approximately every 33 years.

All of this, along with the also highly secular nature of Easter in the United States, reminds us that the world is filled with a beautiful variety of people. We are connected to each other on this planet of ours. Earth Day on April 22nd is another reminder of that. 

I ran across this quote from Ben Irwin on Preemptive Love's website that sums it up beautifully:

"Human diversity is a lot like biodiversity: once it’s lost, it’s gone. And we may not realize how much we need it until it’s too late."

May we all take this spirit of diversity and carry it throughout the entire month of April... if not the entire year. Whether you are feasting for Easter to celebrate the end of your 40 days of Lent, fasting for Ramadan to celebrate during Eid al-Fatr, or fasting from leavened grains yet feasting in other ways during your Passover seder, may your holiday be one filled with love, family, and joy.

Pictures created at www.canva.com.

Have Yourself an Eco Easter & Planet Friendly Passover

Spring has sprung as evident with the popping of flowers and the warming of the weather. We all are probably ready to bid winter "adieu!"

With Easter ahead next weekend and Passover starting the 15th, folks are probably starting to get preparations in order. Here are a few ways to get a sustainable start to your holiday festivities ahead:

Celebrations in General--including Passover Seders:

• Cook less to have less food waste. Do we really need all those sides? Do we really eat all those leftovers? Plus it saves money and calories! And, if you do have leftovers, focus on eliminating those first with your next meal plans!

• Eat fresh and go plant-based when you can. Less of an impact on meat is always a healthier approach to the planet. Organic for the win!

• Candles make it cozy. Go for the eco-friendly variety and save some electricity with more lights out and build an ambiance.

• Decorate with natural items: plants make a beautiful table setting.
  

• Cut back on the plastic where you can. Whether that's cups, cutlery, or plates, less plastic always makes things more eco-friendly. Reusable items and washing those dishes is the better plan here. If that doesn't work, go with something that composts or biodegrades.

• 
  Go for zero-waste. If you are Jewish and turning over your kitchen to rid your home of grain items or only have kosher items on hand, give away the food you are eliminating. Donate unopened items to food kitchens or shelters. Plan early to reduce shopping for items you'll soon be wanting to remove.

• Tupperware items are always better than baggies and wraps when it does come to leftovers. Not only will it keep the plastic from leaching into your food (which is healthier for your body), but it saves valuable petroleum for something other than purchased throw-away plastic!
  

Easter Specific:

• Save those plastic eggs from year to year. Yes, it's fun to go on that Easter egg hunt, but you'll save money and resources when you can pull out that saved stash of eggs from year to year. Or, repurpose them into a DIY Easter wreath or centerpiece decorations. You also might be interested in investigating these plant-based eggs where no plastic was used in their creation.

• Same goes for Easter baskets. They don't have to come cellophane wrapped and new each year! Reusable baskets wooden or wicker baskets work just as well and can make for part of the annual tradition. 

• Likewise, Easter grass for those baskets does not have to be green plastic strips. That plastic grass won't recycle and will just fill a landfill. Plus, it gets all over the place. Instead use crinkled paper grass which biodegrades. Or, use seed-paper to create your own grass/basket filling!

• 
  Who says an Easter hunt has to be eggs. Scavenger hunts can come in all shapes and sizes. They can include small meaningful toys (don't just buy junk at the dollar store) or self-created coupons for fun surprises or events! Also, create a list of natural items like certain leaves, acorns, pinecones, and more to make it a memorable outdoor event to connect to nature.

• Individually wrapped candy creates a bounty of packaging waste--most of it plastic and not recyclable. Consider making tasty treats instead! Along the way, Fair Trade Chocolate is also more planet-friendly.

• Cheap disposable decorations are just that--cheap and disposable. Decorate with natural elements. Use cloth table cloths. Think outside the single use throwaway posters and cutouts.

• Use natural dyes when coloring your eggs. Steer clear of the plastic wrapped paint pellets that we see so often on the shelves and rely on some of the recipes linked above. Plus it is a good way to do some science experiments with your littles and have them literally thinking outside the egg dye box!

• When buying eggs, go for the compostable cardboard egg cartons versus styrofoam, which never biodegrades. 

Many thanks to these resources for the above ideas: 

• Lemarc Agromond's "5 Ways to Be More Sustainable This Easter"
• Sophie Hirsh's "5 Tips for Keeping Your Passover Seder Eco-Friendly" from GreenMatters.com
• The Chicago Botanic Garden's "Tips for an Eco-Friendly Passover"
• Emily VanSchmus' "Skip the Plastic Eggs: 6 Ways to Be More Sustainable This Easter" from Better Homes & Gardens
• Kane County Connects "Countdown to Earth Day: Invest in a Sustainable (and Less Wasteful) Easter" by Jesica Mine
• Earth Friendly Tips' "How to Have an Eco-Friendly Easter"
  

Images from https://ssfu.wordpress.com/2015/04/06/sustainable-easter/, https://www.greenchildmagazine.com/eco-friendly-easter-basket-fillers/, https://www.bhg.com/holidays/easter/decorating/easter-table-setting-ideas/; https://www.brit.co/seder-table-settings/, https://ecoadventures.org/special-events/

Happy Easter Weekend 2021

It is in the spirit of spring weather that I send you warm wishes for a joyous Easter. 

Be healthy, safe, and breathe in the beauty of the outdoors.

Image created at canva.com

Family Celebrations in the Age of Coronavirus

During Spring Break, I was supposed to go visit my mom for a "Mom and Me" solo venture where I flew in for the bulk of the week. It's become a bit of an annual tradition, and one of our favorite times of the year. This year, that trip was canceled, due to the growing concerns over coronavirus.

Mid-March, we were also supposed to have a family gathering with my husband's family for his father. Again, amidst the closing of schools and the encouragement of social distancing and self-quarantining, that was canceled. And don't even get me started as we curiously await what's to happen with senior year prom and other events like graduation, and my daughter's birthday. All the while doing remote learning school using Zoom & Seesaw.

Passover was this week. Easter is tomorrow. More big family events for many people. Again, quarantines are in place and it's far more prudent to social distance as I see the growing numbers on the maps I daily stalk of Johns Hopkins, World Health Organization, and US's Center for Disease Control.

It's making for a weird spring, that's for sure.

It's certainly the right thing to do to try to flatten the curve for the hospital and keep this growing pandemic from doing just that--growing. But even with the right mindset of being "safe" versus "stuck" at home, it's still makes for an awkward spring season.

That's where gratitude comes in handy: I'm grateful it is spring, because it's the return to my back porch & the birds and flowering trees. I'm thankful we live in a time of tech where I can FaceTime & call my mom several states away, be connected with all via social media, binge watch whatever I'm watching these days, & be able to teach remotely via the computer. I have my family of four under the same roof & we are all safe. We live in the day of modern medicine. We still have access to everything we need. We have the gift of time in a way we've never had before.

No, we won't be having the Easter we expected, but just like everything--it's a matter of perspective and the attitude you bring it. One day, this will all be behind us, and my hope for you is the memory of this time lasts so you can really find that gratitude in the little things. For some inspiring Easter quotes for those of you who celebrate that holiday, check out Parade Magazine's list of 100 Easter Quotes--both sacred and secular. May your weekend be as beautiful as you make it and a gift, no matter what!


Image from https://parade.com/1006821/marynliles/easter-quotes/ and https://www.facebook.com/WarehamDNR/photos/a.502105013206703/2809933259090522/?type=3&theater, https://www.kindpng.com/downpng/himhJR_spring-break-clip-art-hd-png-download/ and https://www.philipchircop.com/post/64037338700/gratitude-unlocks-the-fullness-of-life-it-turns

Happy Easter 2017

Pic created using PicCollage.

Happy Easter 2016

Background image from http://www.123freevectors.com/colorful-easter-egg-border-clip-art/ and used with The PicCollage App

Movin' & Groovin' at the White House Easter Egg Roll 2015

It's definitely off topic, but a great memory all the same. Or maybe not--as it was a great way to spend the day outside, taking part in Michelle Obama's Let's Move movement.

This year we got the opportunity to
participate in the 137th White House Easter Egg Roll.

Part of the beauty of living in the greater Baltimore-Washington corridor is that there's a lot of history all around.  Add in a lot of opportunity.  When this year's White House Easter Egg lottery "rolled" around, we, like many Americans, put in our name. And, like 35,000 people, got picked for one of the 5 daily 2-hour timed sessions to participate.  For us, it was the 2:30--4:30 pm time slot, which made for the perfect opportunity this past Monday to leisurely ride the metro in and get where we needed to officially wait in line to get in.

Unfortunately, we didn't see anyone famous or presidential, nor did we get to dance with Michelle Obama to "Uptown Funk.".  Additionally, the kids were bummed to not see the First Pups Bo and Sunny (luckily though, they had the cardboard cutouts). But the day was beautiful and we couldn't ask for a greater way to be out in the day. We were doing our best to "do what Michelle Obama would do:" getting exercise in a #GimmeFive way, in the great outdoors.

To see some of the official highlights of the day, 

go to the Official White House's Easter Egg Roll page.

For some historic pics of Egg Rolls of days gone by, 

check out PBS's photo gallery of past pics.

Lastly, click this link to watch Live With Kelly and Michael at the 

White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington D.C.

Photos of mine from Easter Monday 2015, in the LiPix app.  Easter Egg logo from https://www.whitehouse.gov/eastereggroll

Happy Easter

May your Easter be filled with hope, renewal, love, newness, dreams, & potential! 

Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, & new life.                            ~ Janine di Giovanni

It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow. ~ Robert H. Schuller

Quotes from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/topics/topic_easter.html

The Story of Significance & Service

Today walking out of church, I saw the same sign that I see each week in the vestibule:

Each week I'm struck by how it is a spiritual testament beyond church alone, that spreads to both environmentalism and human nature. It speaks the message of Earth Hour, Earth Day, and most religions through its message of peace and prosperity.  If each one of us does one thing to work to make our world better, think of how beautiful it could be.

Speaking that same message is this 7 minute video entitled "A New Story of the People" from SustainableMan.  The premise:  the more we change the story, our human story, from one of separateness to one of connectedness, the more we will see the significance, the serendipity, the synchronicity that surrounds us.  It's a story worth watching, and a better story worth living here in this post-Easter, pre-Earth Day season.
Quote poster from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/anne_frank.html Video from http://youtu.be/2wviYuKDlKs

Hoppy Easter

Easter Sunday: 'Tis that time of the night when we're picking up candy wrappers, stray pieces of Easter grass, and wayward leftovers from either the Easter basket or the egg hunt. Sugared highs have now become lows as chocolatified children head to bed.

Looking back, the weather made for a delightful day outside, and the springy seasonal attire was just right. Flowers were in bloom. Easter bonnets donned the tops of wee ones at church. Giggles and glee were the sounds of the day as Easter surprises popped out like li'l bunnies.

A nice Easter all the way around!!

May your Easter have been equally as bright as ours at GTG, filled with smiles, snuggles, laughter, love, a wealth of food, and warm memories of your own past Easters! "Hoppy" Easter!!


Image from http://oasis-church-nj.com/nj-easter-egg-hunt.htm