Easter is upon us and whether you celebrate the Easter Bunny coming or the Christian resurrection of Christ, Easter is going to be very different this year. What I appreciated most about Easter is the family gatherings. When I was very young, Easter meant that we would all get a new outfit and we would journey to Boston for the long weekend to visit my great aunt and her family, which included her mother, my great grandmother. I remember my great grandmother always getting up early and cooking in the kitchen. One of my favorite meals was breakfast and she would make what she called "Pillows", which was fried dough that puffed up like a pillow. You would eat them with butter and maple syrup. My mother used to make them from time to time and they were good, but they were never quite as special as the ones my great grandmother made at Easter.

Even as I got older, Easter was still about getting the family together for a meal and catching up. My wife's family is quite large and getting the family together is always special and a lot of people. Over the years, I have watched my nieces and nephews grow up and now, I am getting to see them have children of their own. These family gatherings are one of the few times a year that I really get to see the extended family.

This year, with COVID-19, we are all encouraged to stay home and celebrate in isolation. In isolation, Easter will not be as special without the family gathering. Yes, there is video chatting and that is a good way to connect with the immediate family and I am planning to do that later today with some of my family, but it does not help with getting the extended family together in the way the Easter meal would have brought everyone together. I know that I am going to miss that Easter family dinner and getting a chance to connect with those extended family members and seeing their children. Maybe we can all hold off the gathering portion of the Easter celebration and plan a family gathering when we end our isolation. Maybe it will be a new celebration, a new holiday to celebrate the connections we missed while we were all keeping safe in isolation.

May you enjoy Easter and if you need some one to connect with, reach out to me on my Connect with Sean page, or directly message me on one of my social media profiles, and I will call you on one of my evening walks. I love my time in nature on my evening walks and I use it to connect with people usually that I have not talked to in a long time and I am open to making new connections. You are also free to join me on Morning Calm at 8:30 am EDT during the week. Morning Calm is a daily meditation that I lead. You do not have to be live to get the benefits from the meditation and you can listen to one of the replays over on my YouTube Channel.

Above all else, stay calm, stay safe, and stay healthy.