Although Easter is a holiday about feeling saved, this year I am taking a sentiment from another holiday and also feeling thankful. A year ago we celebrated Easter under strict lockdown. Although a world in quarantine would never stand a chance at halting Jesus’ Resurrection, having most everything else associated with the holiday canceled was still a tough pill to swallow.

This year we will be able to celebrate Easter in a more traditional way (like in 2018) than what we were able to do last year.

This year, things are different—at least a little. We have made enough progress in our battle against COVID that most states, including Washington, are in the midst of re-opening plans. These provisions allow for certain activities and events to resume.

Last April, a pickup truck with the Easter Bunny riding in the back roamed the streets of my parents’ neighborhood. It was an act meant to salvage the spirits of youngsters who were bitterly disappointed that the annual Easter egg hunt in the park had been canceled. Nationwide, hunts and related events were scrapped. This week they are making a comeback, even if social distancing measures might make them look a little different from two years ago.

The Easter Bunny drove by in the back of a truck through my parents’ neighborhood last year.

More importantly, the opportunities to celebrate what Easter is truly about will also return in 2021. Many of us can’t adequately describe the sorrow that was felt last year when churches were closed and in-person Holy Week/Easter Sunday masses and services were wiped out. To be able to celebrate the sacred Paschal mystery inside a holy church will carry with it even more meaning this year.

On Sunday we will once again get to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord in a church. This is Sloan and Sid after Easter Sunday mass at St. Andrew in Myrtle Beach in 2019.

Oh yeah, this year I will also get to celebrate Easter with my family! I was separated from my wife and kids at this time 12 months ago as we waited for the uncertainty of COVID to dissipate before they left South Carolina to fly west. Their presence this Easter weekend will not be lost on me. One more thing worth noting: Easter 2021 will mark the first time I have the opportunity to simultaneously celebrate Easter with Sid, my two children, parents, and siblings. Alleluia.

As we prepare to celebrate Easter on Sunday, let us feel thankful that this year will be different from last—in a positive way. Let’s not take for granted that which we missed so dearly just a year ago. Don’t Blink.