As I’m sure you all know, Easter was this past weekend.

Fun fact about Easter: the date always changes depending on when a full moon falls in relation to the spring equinox (whatever that is). It’s a formula that has something to do with Passover and the Gregorian or Julian calendars (whatever those are).

This may explain why I am never ever able to remember when Easter is.

Okay. Let’s be real here–how many of you get excited about Easter because you get to celebrate that Jesus is risen?

The answer is not enough. I’m not very enthusiastic about it either. For a long time I thought of Easter as the chocolate bunny day, the day to pig out on some sweets and have a great big feast. It wasn’t anything special though. It was just another holiday where you got to get together with friends and family to enjoy some good food.

But then, a couple of days before the big celebration, my mom and I went to Longs to buy some Easter candy. We got a basket, some of that pastel-colored plastic grass and quite a bit of goodies to hide inside.

At the checkout, I made a comment about how, to me, Easter was about getting to dig into some yummy sweets. The clerk looked me straight in the eyes and told me that there’s more to it in that.

Her exact words were “Easter is about celebrating that He is risen. It’s about remembering the sacrifice He made for us.”

I’ve never really thought about it like that. Granted, there are plenty of people who tell me that–Christian Ed, parents, pastors–they all say the same thing. But, for a complete stranger to tell me was a bit of an eye opener.

I think that I (and probably a bunch of other people, too) forget that there’s more to life than just eating some sweets. That there are, in fact, people who make sacrifices for us because they love us.

I have a friend whose single mom works two jobs so that they can take a special trip on the breaks. I know dads who let their kids paint their fingernails just for practice, sisters who let their younger siblings sleep in their room because they’re afraid of the dark. People are always giving–even if they’re not getting.

That’s real love. Hopefully, this past Easter you remembered that Our Savior, Jesus Christ, really loved us.  That he gave up his life for us. That’s the real reason we have the excuse to eat chocolate eggs and sleep in for five days.

Don’t forget that there’s always someone out there who’s watching over you, who loves you and who wants the best for you.  There is someone out there who wants you to succeed and be happy and will do anything to make that happen.

Happy belated Easter, everyone!