Not the holiday you envisioned, but that’s OK
Whatever you’re celebrating, make the most of it and be gentle on yourself
Celebrations and festivities are an essential part of our lives, whether or not you consider yourself religiously inclined. This weekend will be a special time for millions celebrating Passover and Easter around the world. As we navigate through these unchartered waters of COVID -19, holding on to customs, traditions and celebrations becomes that much more difficult. Holidays typically mean bringing together friends, extended family and loved ones, which is impossible to do when social-distancing.
It is no secret that I don’t celebrate either Passover or Easter. I do know, however, how important it is to gather with loved ones for a special holiday. In my home, we are preparing for the start of Ramadan in just over two weeks. This involves a lot of cleaning and tidying to freshen the place up for a holy month of fasting from sunrise to sunset. Ordinarily, this would be a time when I’d be doing extra groceries and starting batch cooking to get ahead for the month. I know that it’s not right to do so because everyone is searching for groceries, and we all need to do our part to ensure we take what we need for the immediate future and leave the rest for others.
Whatever you’re celebrating this weekend, this month or this season, make the most of it.
I love seeing pictures of friends decorating their homes for Easter. Those with young kids are sharing ideas on how to make the holiday special while adhering to rules of self-isolation. I love hearing about how the Jewish community is coming together to take care of the most vulnerable in their community at this time of need as well.
This week, Federation CJA assembled and distributed food baskets to hundreds of elderly, isolated and vulnerable Jewish Montrealers in preparation for Passover. I also loved learning that the federation has more than 250 volunteers calling these people to check in on them. A little kindness goes a very long way right now.
I saw the same thing happen with the congregation at the Roxboro United Church. They mobilized to take care of members of their community, ensure they had access to groceries and essential goods and set them up to tune in to hear Rev. Darryl Macdonald broadcast Celtic meditations twice a day. Members pray for one another and share requests for prayers while tuning in to the broadcast on Facebook.
Another organization doing phenomenal work here in the city and across the country is Khalsa Aid, a Sikh organization that stepped up in a major way with last year’s flood relief efforts. They are delivering groceries and meals to people across the city and even going so far as to pay for groceries for those who cannot afford them. They are serving people of all faiths and backgrounds.
The truth is, our nerves are frazzled right now. We’re all on the edge of our seats, trying to make the most of this time and remain positive. It’s not always easy. We’re washing our hands to the tune of Happy Birthday umpteen times a day and wiping down surfaces as though our lives depended on it, because they do. We are all waiting for this to be behind us. Through it all, though, it’s essential to stay grounded as much as possible. Take care of yourself and those around you.
So whatever you’re celebrating this weekend, this month or this season, make the most of it. Invest in spending quality time with those around you as much as possible while being kind to yourself. Your holiday might not look as you had envisioned and you might not have been able to pick up the groceries you would have liked to. That’s OK. Most of us are at home right now but we’re most certainly not on vacation. Be gentle with your expectations and happy holidays.