Easter celebrations have changed a lot during my life. In the early years, I attended multiple church services with my friends and neighbors, dressed up in pretty clothes, enjoyed a fancy Easter basket with delicious candies, and celebrated with friends and family members in our cozy little cape house.
Now, many years later, the holiday has changed quite a bit. Though most of my family members continue to adhere to true Christian principles, many are no longer members of the Catholic Church for many reasons. Sadly, the Catholic Church has not moved ahead with the times since many in the church still hold outdated, inhumane prejudices toward the inclusive lifestyles and choices that make us more fully human, loving, and alive. There is much that I still love about the Catholic Church, but I am disappointed that they will not embrace the many ways that people live and love and that they will not allow women to be priests or allow priests to marry whom they love.
When I was young, people's lives seemed to be more similar than today. In our neighborhood, almost everyone had a somewhat similar lifestyle with similar meal times, schools, family styles and more. Today, there's a lot more diversity in our neighborhoods with people living in all kinds of ways. This diversity makes life more interesting, but creates more challenge when it comes to community since there's multiple schedules, family styles, and priorities at play. When I was young, almost everyone I lived near celebrated Easter. Almost all of us went to the same church and we all dressed up for the holiday. Today, while some celebrate Easter, others don't. We don't dress up as much for the holiday, and only some of us attend the related services. We have, however, continued the tradition of getting together, Easter egg hunts and baskets for the children, and a sense of celebration and joy that match the spiritual/humane aspects of the holiday.
We'll celebrate with a buffet that includes ham, feta/spinach calzones, Mom's mac and cheese, salad, quiche, fruit salad, an Easter cake with coconut frosting and ice cream. The children will hunt for eggs all around the small cape my parents have lived in for 57 years and we'll enjoy the company of four generations of family members. Not all of my siblings or children will be there since some will celebrate with their spouse's families or friends' families. Others will use the time to travel and adventure.
So while our celebrations change, we continue to hold close the family care and love that makes the celebrations special. Happy Easter!