There’s a new world opening up to my boys a little earlier than I thought.
The world of FaceTime.
I mean, sure they’ve been on FaceTime calls with me before, but never were the calls solely theirs. It was always a family call. This week, however, I watched each of my boys in turn take my phone from me and run to show the person who called them everything they treasure in this life.
They picked up the skill pretty fast. I’m sure texting is just around the corner. My phone will never be mine again.
As I watched them, I reveled in how excited they were to share the news of their life. I was also taken aback by just how much they treasured in this house.
“And this is our fish tank. See our yellow fish and the snails? See the submarine and the little trees?” my oldest told his teacher. Then, he proceeded to pick up every package of fish food and hold it up close to the phone’s camera making sure she didn’t miss a single detail.
Easter is finally here after perhaps the longest Lent we ever known. Normally, we would be entering churches and seeing the purple removed and the Easter lilies decorating the altar. People would be flooding out into the lobby dressed in their Easter clothes. Kids would be bursting with energy in the pews excited about the treasures left in their Easter baskets. And we’d be shaking hands and hugging friends and family as we rejoiced in the resurrection.
Instead, however, we are still at home. And for us adults, I think it can feel a little disappointing. We can feel, perhaps, drained of the excitement of the return of the Alleluia.
So, maybe we can let the kids be our guide today. Maybe we can siphon a little of their excitement as they grab the phone and shove each and every little treasure up close to its camera. Perhaps they can be our Marys today… announcing to each of us that the Lord did indeed rise again.
And not even a pandemic could stop Him.
Alleluia?
Alleluia!
May God grace you this day and give you all you need to, as Mary Oliver wrote:
“Pay attention!
Be astonished!
Tell about it!”
