Echoes of Easter: Paying Attention to Small Things

       The weeks leading up to Easter Sunday were different this year. For me, the difference had less to do with the liturgical season of Lent than the everyday impact of COVID 19.
       I’ve been home a lot more and learning to work in new ways. I’m trying to develop a new normal that will help me keep a better balance in my day-to-day life,
        That new normal includes paying closer attention to the small things.
        Instead of rushing through walks with my dog, Wilbur, I remind myself there’s no need to hurry home just so I can head out to the office or another commitment. I try to pay attention to the buds that appear on tree branches that were bare the day before. I try to listen to the increasing diversity of chirps and tweets and songs as birds return from their migratory journeys. I try to be grateful that Wilbur can join me on these walks since several months ago he couldn’t use his hind legs.
       I’ve also noticed other small things that have brought joy and hope. Some are gestures others have offered me, and some are things I’ve done but might have missed at other times. But each of them, in one way or another, has to do with connections.
      Over the next few weeks, I’ll share some of the small things I hope to continue even when the pandemic no longer defines daily life. For me these small things carry echoes of Easter—possibilities of new life and new beginnings that come when we might least expect them and that we often miss because we’re too busy to pay attention.
       For now, I invite you to notice at least one small thing today and embrace the joy or hope it offers. Maybe you’ll also hear an echo of Easter.
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