So, about a week following Easter, I started thinking, and that can be a scary thing if you know me…. ??

So, I’ve elected to write this and share……….

Each year, we enter into Lent with intention.

We fast. We sacrifice. We walk with Jesus through the desert and toward the cross. We take seriously the call to suffer with Him, and rightly so. Lent asks something of us, and many of us respond with commitment and discipline.

But then Easter comes.

And while we celebrate the Resurrection with joy on that day, something often happens in the weeks that follow—we quietly return to normal. The 50 days of Easter, meant to be a season of joy, can pass without the same intentionality we brought to Lent.

This year, I wanted to try something different.

Instead of letting Easter simply be a moment, I wanted to live it as a season. I began with a simple daily prayer: “Jesus, help me live today as if You are truly risen.” From there, I chose a few small, intentional ways to bring that truth into everyday life.

One of those ways was writing handwritten notes to every member of our parish staff—thirty-seven in total. Each note was personal, reflecting the individual’s role, their gifts, or simply letting them know they were seen and valued. No two notes were the same.

But that was only one part of it.

I also tried to live the Easter season through small, simple choices—choosing gratitude over frustration, offering encouragement, reaching out to someone who might need connection, and expressing kindness without expecting anything in return.

Nothing complicated. Nothing burdensome.  In fact, that may be the most important part.

Lent calls us to sacrifice in ways that are intentionally hard. Easter, perhaps, invites us into something different—not something difficult, but something life-giving. Something light enough to carry into our daily lives.

What I experienced was more meaningful than I expected.  People were surprised. Grateful. In some cases, deeply touched. Small moments of connection began to happen in ways that don’t always occur in the routine of daily work. And personally, I found myself more aware, more grateful, and more at peace.

It made me wonder what might happen if more of us lived the Easter season this way.  Not as a program. Not as an obligation.  But as an invitation.

An invitation to live the joy of the Resurrection in small, intentional ways—through a kind word, a simple note, a moment of patience, or an act of encouragement.

Because joy has a way of multiplying when it is shared.  And perhaps the 50 days of Easter are not meant to simply follow Lent…

…but to transform us.

Maybe this will give you some food for thought during the remainnig 50 days of Easter or prepare a plan for next year.