You can have a happy Easter even without a butter bunny (7 Quick Takes)

~1~

If you don’t buy the butter bunny when you see it, you won’t have a butter bunny for Easter. Then you will have to eat butter-shaped butter for the most joyful feast of the year. So, when I see a butter bunny, I snag a butter bunny. But that doesn’t mean that I will remember to bring it to Easter dinner at my sister and brother-in-law’s house.

This year, we were carrying a veggie tray, a bowl of dip, and a bag of little Easter stuffies for three nieces and two nephews—along with a birthday gift. I left the butter bunny in our refrigerator at home.

It was still a magnificent Easter—an Easter that continues as we keep celebrating. So maybe we can enjoy the butter bunny during the octave of Easter instead of on the first Sunday of Easter.

~2~

It was so much fun that our niece—my goddaughter—was turning 7 on Easter Sunday. When we were growing up, my older sister’s March birthday fell on Easter one year, and I thought it was amazing. An Easter birthday seemed so incredibly special.

Also, turning seven! Seven is an age I remember being myself.

Our niece loves animals, and she really likes peacocks. When my sister Treasa suggested a stuffed peacock as a gift, one of us thought of my friend Tiffany at Glory Design Crochet, who makes such beautiful crocheted creatures. Tiffany has made custom creations for me before, and I love the idea that she is making something specifically for someone who is special to us.

The peacock Tiffany created is adorable and sweet. It is already becoming a special stuffed friend.

~3~

We’ve always hung stockings for Santa to fill for the parents, but we never included Easter baskets for ourselves.

If I could go back in time, I would start that tradition. It’s never too late, of course.

I’m sure the Easter Bunny would be happy to fill baskets for all of us.

It’s obvious that he has a great time filling them for our boys.

~4~

John and I enjoyed egg dyeing for Easter long before we had children. Then our children arrived, and I wondered why people thought dyeing eggs with children was a good idea. Now that our boys are teenagers, egg dyeing with them is relatively stress-free.

I loved when our children were little and cherish that time, but I also love this age. No one tells you how wonderful the teen years are. Easy egg dyeing is just a tiny sliver of the fun. We didn’t even cover the dining room table with a plastic tablecloth to catch spilled dye this year, and the world is still turning.

~5~

The empty virtual nature of Easter 2020 is still fresh in my mind, so when we went to Easter Mass this year and found ourselves in the spillover service in the school gym, I had to smile. I loved that we were able to worship in person, and that we needed an extra location to make room for everyone.

Participating in Mass in a space that is not a church also reminds me that many people throughout history and throughout our world have celebrated Mass in less-than-ideal spaces because they weren’t able to worship safely in a more public setting.

The best part of Easter Mass was that the priest who was visiting to celebrate the Mass was the Jesuit who had kicked off Lent for me with Mass on Ash Wednesday. He gave this incredible homily, encouraging us to meditate as St. Ignatius asked us to, on what it was like for the Risen Christ to appear to his mother. It was so powerful and poignant.

~6~

John fired up our grill for dinner on Holy Saturday, and I joked that we were starting to grill in honor of the new Easter fire.

He made chicken and beef kabobs, and they tasted so good. Enjoying a delicious grilled meal makes me feel that spring is here—and that summer is coming.

Warm weather is my favorite, and I do love grilling. It takes some of the cooking off of my plate—pun intended—and tastes like summer.

~7~

A week ago, our neighbor offered to let our son—who loves instruments—try out her violin. He was excited. On one of the particularly heavy days of Holy Week, I was cleaning up after dinner and heard him picking out the notes to “Ode to Joy” on the violin in the other room.

Sometimes that’s how joy feels, I thought. It can be shaky and a little hesitant, but it’s there. It’s always there. We just need to watch and listen for it.

I hope you’re experiencing some of the joy of Easter in your daily life.

Copyright © 2023 Catholic Review Media

 Print