Remember your community this Easter
OPINION: Easter is a funny time of year.
For some people, it’s the most important religious celebration on the Christian calendar.
For others, it’s an opportunity to hang out with friends and family and overindulge on good food.
Some people look forward to Easter’s long weekend because it gives them an opportunity to maximise holiday opportunities throughout the year.
Others don’t treat Easter any differently to an average day.
However you celebrate Easter (or don’t), spare a thought for our fellow countrypeople for whom Easter will look very different this year.
Many people continue to deal with the aftermath of extreme weather events from earlier in the year.
Some of these people don’t have homes anymore; others are missing key members of their families or friend groups.
The cost of living crisis is making life hard for many Kiwis too. It just might not be possible to stretch the grocery budget to include a pack of hot cross buns and chocolate eggs.
In our expensive, stressful lifestyle, some people struggle to make ends meet.
Others are alone; still others feel lonely despite having people around them. Whether Easter is an important time of the year for you or not, perhaps this year is an opportunity to reach out to others.
Invite your neighbours around to your place for a meal together. Host a potluck dinner with friends and family, and share what you’re thankful for this year. Organise an egg hunt for the kids on your street in the backyards of a few neighbouring houses.
Donate some Easter treats to your local food bank. Reach out to anyone who might have accessibility issues and offer to take them to a Good Friday or Easter Sunday church service.
This year is my family’s first Easter away from our friends and families since we moved across the country in August last year.
Egg hunts with old friends followed by more egg hunts at the grandparents’ places won’t be happening; instead, it’s time to create some new traditions that probably involve lots of chocolate.
The world’s our oyster when it comes to what Easter looks like to us now – and to be honest, that’s quite exciting.
Maybe we can launch an annual hot cross bun-making competition between friends. Maybe we can take the kids to buy Easter treats and drop them into the food bank collection trolley at the local supermarket, like we do at Christmas.
If there’s a local egg hunt, we can take the kids along. And if there are opportunities to help out in our community, we can fill a gap.
It’s only April, but 2023 has already been a hard year for many New Zealanders. This Easter, let’s open our eyes to the needs in our communities.
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