You all know that Easter is a holiday that is associated with lots of traditions and symbols; going to church (of course), Easter parades, Easter Lilies, hollow chocolate bunnies – which were always a bit disappointing in my opinion. Then, of course, there is the Easter Bunny and Easter Egg hunts. Growing up, additional traditions in our family included road trips to visit cousins in Michigan, ham and scalloped potatoes, Bloody Mary’s for breakfast – for the adults of course, and Easter egg hunts for the kids. These days our family members do without the Bloody Mary’s, the trips to Michigan and usually even the Ham and scalloped potatoes; actually the only surviving traditions are church and Easter Egg Hunts.
I was curious about the connection of Eggs and the celebration of Easter, so I recently did a little bit of research. The concept of Eggs being connected to new life and rebirth actually preceded their connection with Christianity. The ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians, and Hindus all believed the world began with an enormous egg, thus the egg as a symbol of new life has been around for eons. The particulars may vary, but most cultures around the world use the egg as a symbol of new life and rebirth. Though Easter is a religious holiday, some of its customs, such as Easter eggs, are likely linked to pagan traditions. From a Christian perspective, Easter eggs are said to represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection.
I loved watching my kids when they were little run around and look for those plastic colored eggs. Back then they didn’t feel rushed so they would immediately open them and squeal with delight when they found them filled with candy and break into tears if it was “just money”. My older son would help my younger son find eggs when he was struggling to find them himself. My kids are now 23 and 29 and we still do Easter Egg Hunts. Now their spouses, partners and friends also join in. The pace is much faster, they definitely don’t help each other, in fact it’s extremely competitive now. And they are much more excited about the money than the candy. The financial stakes are also much higher as we have moved from coins to dollar bills, 5’s, 10’s and even a few 20’s. It really is one of my favorite holidays of the year.
I’ve recently discovered another type of Easter Egg that I have become a fan of. It is the “Easter Eggs” that can be found in some TV shows, movies and video games. To put it simply, “movie Easter eggs” are hidden references, clues or inside jokes that have been inconspicuously (and sometimes not so inconspicuously) placed into TV shows, video games, and movies. The term “Easter egg” was coined around 1979 by Steve Wright, who was the Director of Software Development at Atari. They began as a creator’s secret love letter to their fans, or in some cases an inside joke with fellow creators.
Let me show you an example. A Pizza Planet reference is in every Pixar Move except The Incredibles.
I assume that some people are more observant than me and find these on their own but I usually learn about them from friends or hear about them on social media and then go back to look for them. In the Pizza Planet example, it is an inside joke by the creators. One of my favorite ways that I have seen Easter eggs used is when they pay homage to others. For example, the Ted Lasso series has many references to the sitcom Cheers that ran from 1982 through 1993. The Easter Eggs sometimes involve the character Norm, played by George Wendt, who is the real-life Uncle of Jason Sudeikis, the show’s star, he plays Ted Lasso, who is also a writer and creator. In one of the scenes when Roy and Ted are eating Kabobs at Roy’s favorite restaurant they are seated below pictures of “Norm” (Jason’s uncle George Wendt) Roy himself and Marcus Mumford who is in Jason’s favorite band: Mumford and Sons. There is no reference to the pictures in the dialogue it’s just a secret love letter or tribute from Jason and the writers.
The key to finding Easter Eggs in movies and television is to pay attention and to be open to seeing or hearing them. I think the same goes for finding Easter Eggs in real life. Just like Easter Eggs in entertainment are symbols of love to the fans, I think there are Easter Eggs that are Love Letters from God. They are those tiny micro-moments of happiness; when we feel joy and hope. Just like the easter eggs in movies and TV, once you begin to look for them, they will start to appear everywhere. As our own Duane Kelch would say it is those moments when we get “God Bumps”.
To be honest, I might be the one who needs this message right now more than all of you. I am dealing with something negative in my life that I am very passionate about and to be honest it is really sucking my joy. I have been so focused on the issue that I have not been intentional about looking for these micromoments. But when I work hard to turn that negativity off and look around for the Easter Eggs, they are there.
For example, I work part time as a fitness coach at a bootcamp gym for women. We have a new member named Evelyn who started a few weeks ago, she is middle aged, and overweight. Life and hormonal changes have taken their toll on her body, so the classes have been very challenging for her. I was coaching a class she was in the other day and the move was a burpee. A burpee is a more advanced move so we also show easier modifications for those who are just starting their exercise program.
The previous few times I had Evelyn in class she was still doing a modified version but as I was coaching the class the other day I looked over at Evelyn and she was doing a full, legit burpee! It wasn’t easy for her and it wasn’t perfect but she was doing it! I ran over to her and gave her a high five and the pride and joy on her face was incredible. It was a moment that I was so happy to be present for.
My husband and I aren’t very gushy with public displays of affection and neither of us share or need constant verbal reminders of our undying love for each other. But one day I woke up and went downstairs and saw the locked door that goes into our garage from the house, I have looked at that door handle a million times but that day I looked at it and I was reminded that every night he walks around the house at night and makes sure every door is locked, he does that because he loves the people who live in that house and he wants to make sure they are safe. I still see the love in that locked door every time I look at it but that very first time I really noticed what it truly meant. It was an Easter Egg that had been hiding in plain sight.
There was a single moment in the recent Grammy Awards that took my breath away just a few weeks ago. Tracy Chapman, a black, gay singer who wrote the song Fast Car 35 years ago, joined Luke Combs in singing Fast Car at the Grammys. Luke is a big burly country singer who recently re-released the song with Tracy’s blessing. The vast difference in cultures between the two of them didn’t go unnoticed and there was magic in a single moment when she looked over at him in the middle of the song and just smiled. Yes, the performance was amazing and praised by everyone but the joy on her face when she smiled was, to me, a moment of hope and love…a Love Letter from God…An Easter Egg.
By now you all know or have seen my Grandson Zayne: the little boy who loves planets. He and his parents moved in with Dave and I about 2 years after Dave and I semi-retired. Zayne’s parents are back in college. Before they moved in we really had a good thing going; we had an empty nest, the house remained cleaned and organized, and we could come and go as we pleased. We could make a fancy dinner or eat cereal.
Then, with 2 weeks notice, Hank’s whole family moved in. We now had toys in the family room and poopy diapers in the trash. We had young adults who did not (and still do not) share our standard of what “clean” looks like. We became on-call babysitters, and we relearned about car seats and daycare. On top of all that we had dogs who were stressed out, confused and they were wondering when all these strangers were going to leave. I will not lie to you, living with your adult kid and his family is difficult and stressful. But every once in a while, I find an “easter egg” that is a reminder from God that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing right now. When your grown son refers to a particularly bad part of his past and says, “Back when I was an asshole….” (Pardon the language). The easter egg is the gift of really seeing him grow up and knowing that he sincerely appreciates the opportunity we were giving him. Or you have a little boy sneak in your room at 5am when you are fast asleep and he whispers in your ear, “What are you doing Nana?” and the easter egg is that you aren’t mad or frustrated, you get up excitedly and say, “I guess I am playing with you”. The gift is being able to recognize the love and joy that are what these real life easter eggs are, the moments make the ordinary extraordinary. Like a few weeks ago when I said goodbye as I was leaving for church and Zayne asked me if I was wearing underwear, I told him I was, and he said “good”. There may actually be a day in the future that I really need that reminder.I encourage you to think about the easter eggs you have discovered or are yet to discover in your lives — what moments of love, joy, inspiration, and hope have you experienced? What good thing about someone or something have you seen? And have you “left” Easter Eggs for others — like Dave does for our family.I would like to end with this quote by an unknown author which for me summarizes God’s Easter Eggs for us but also reminds us that he is always there for us.
Happy moments, praise God
Difficult moments, seek God
Painful moments, trust God
In every moment, thank God
Italian novelist, Cesare Pavese has written these beautiful words
“We do not remember days, we remember moments.”
May we pay more attention to the Easter eggs to be found in our lives, as well as the eggs to be found next Sunday.
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