For me, Easter and other major holidays have always been big, family affairs. Most of my extended family lives in Maryland, where I’m originally from, and everyone gets together to celebrate with an Easter egg hunt and a traditional dinner. In my own household, my parents hide baskets from the “Easter Bunny” for everyone to find all over the house. They continue to do this, even though most of us are in high school or college. It’s still a very fun tradition, regardless of age.
When I learned this year that I wouldn’t be returning to Maryland for Easter, I was initially disappointed, but not surprised. Easter break is too short to justify a ten hour drive to and from Maryland. However, this was the first break that I didn’t return home for this school year, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy Easter at all this year.
I thought the whole experience was very odd. First, I slept in this Easter. Normally, my younger siblings are up at the crack of dawn because they want to search for their Easter baskets, and I get woken up in the process. It was odd not having things to do in the middle of the day, because I’m normally at a late brunch or dinner with lots of family members.
Mostly, that was what made it strange for me: not being surrounded by family during the holidays. I’ve grown much more appreciative for my family over the past few years (in middle school, I thought they were so embarrassing – I had a lot to learn). Maybe it’s because, deep down, I knew that I couldn’t be with my family for every tradition once I began college.
However, there were some things that helped me to adjust and enjoy Easter this year. First, my older brother is a junior in Fisher, so I had a family member to celebrate the holiday with. My mom felt bad that we couldn’t come home for Easter, so she sent us Easter baskets. However, she sent us each other’s baskets so that we could hide them for each other! I loved that she did this for us because it allowed us to continue our family tradition of hidings baskets, and it was even more rewarding because we could make our own rules.
At this point, Zeeks and I were Easter veterans, and we knew every spot in the house where baskets could be hidden. Now, we could truly challenge each other and make the search interesting! Zeeks gave me a scavenger hunt, making me search for clues all around campus until I found my basket:
This is the beginning of a letter from “The Easter Bunny” that Zeeks gave me on Easter morning.
I made Zeeks find his basket, but he found an empty basket; then made him find the candy. We both really enjoyed doing this! We also brunched, dinnered, and attended Mass together. It was really nice to spend Easter Day with him.
Also, this was not my first Notre Dame Easter. Last year, my family and I visited my brother to celebrate Easter with him in South Bend. I think this was my first time on campus as an admitted student of the Class of 2018. I experienced my first Mass in the Basilica and tried out the Dining Hall’s Easter Brunch. So, this year, I already had an idea of what to expect in regards to Notre Dame Easter traditions.
Two new things I tried this year were the Good Friday Service and the Student Mass. I’m so glad that I attended, because they were beautiful services! I especially loved the musical formats for each. I thought the recitative version of the Gospel of John was beautiful and reflective, and I loved the Folk Choir’s performances during the Student Mass! I also spent some time in Lewis Chapel and the Grotto during Holy Week for quiet prayer.
Even though I wasn’t home for Easter, I think that Easter 2015 turned out to be one of the most meaningful Easters to me. Because I was separated from most of my family, I became even more appreciative for their presence and support in my life. My time spent in the Basilica, Grotto, and Lewis Chapel made the true meaning of Easter more apparent to me, and I feel that I got much more out of the Easter service this year than any other year. I learned just how special Easter really is. Even though I miss my family a lot and can’t wait to see everyone this summer, I am so grateful for this experience, and I have no regrets about how this year’s Easter went.
Just me chillin’ with my Peeps – Happy Easter Week everyone!
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