The Heart of Easter
Egg Hunts, Blessings, and Togetherness This Easter Sunday
blend of reverence and personal connection, and it always reminds me of the deeper meaning behind the holiday.
Easter has always been a special time for our family, a moment to step away from the chaos of life and focus on what truly matters: family and togetherness. With my wife Marta being Polish, Easter holds extra significance for us as it’s steeped in beautiful traditions that reflect her heritage. It’s a time when we celebrate the holiday and honor her culture, creating memories that bring us closer together.
After the service, we spend time with Marta’s parents. It’s not just a chance to share a meal but also to share stories, laughter, and a sense of continuity that comes from being together as a family. Easter feels like the perfect opportunity to slow down, to appreciate the people around us, and to remember how lucky we are to share these traditions.
Every year, we make it a point to attend the Easter service at a local Catholic church in Albuquerque that has become a gathering place for the Polish community for Easter. It’s a place where Marta feels connected to her roots, and our kids get to embrace a part of their identity
“Easter is about taking a step back from
Even though our kids are older now, they haven’t outgrown the joy of hunting for Easter eggs. We hide them in the yard every year, and no matter how “grown-up” they might
work, worries, and routines to focus on family, gratitude, and
that might otherwise feel distant. One of my favorite parts of the holiday is the blessing of the Easter baskets, also known as Ś wi ę conka, a Polish tradition Marta passed down to our children. The baskets
claim to be, they always get into the spirit of the hunt, laughing and joking as they compete to fill their baskets. It’s a simple tradition but one that brings out childlike wonder in all of us. Watching them reminds me how important it is to create moments that feel special — moments they’ll hopefully carry with them as they build their own traditions someday.
the joy of simply being together.”
are filled with carefully prepared items symbolizing different things: sausage as abundance, lamb-shaped butter as new life and spring, and decorated eggs (“pisanki” in Polish) representing life and resurrection –
painted by our daughter Bowie and her grandma Eve — creating a centerpiece that always gets a smile.
Easter is about taking a step back from work, worries, and routines to focus on family, gratitude, and the joy of simply being together. Whether it’s the blessing of the baskets, the egg hunt in the yard, or sharing a meal with Marta’s family, Easter is a reminder that life’s greatest gifts aren’t found in the things we accomplish but in the people we hold close.
During the service, the priest, who once spent time in the Vatican serving alongside Pope John Paul II (Karol Józef Wojtyła, of Poland), speaks fondly of the late pope and the time he spent with him. It’s touching to hear his stories, a
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