full of potential...

As spring rolls around and retailers hype up the usual commercial junk surrounding Easter, I do my best to tune it out. Holidays shouldn't be about material things but time spent with loved ones celebrating a meaningful cause.

We are not a religious family, so Easter is not about the crucifix for us. But I still love Easter and the memories I have of it as a child with my family. So what's a girl -- a new mom -- to do?

Considering that Easter's most prominent features are Pagan and tied to the season (eggs, flowers, chicks, and even the Easter Bunny), it makes perfect sense that our holiday is about celebrating spring.

Easter then, to me, is the joy of life awaking and new life emerging. It is the promise of potential in us all after a long, cold winter.

Everything is alive and new again. Buds are on the dogwoods in the yard and tulips are pushing up through the ground. Birds and frogs are calling. It is a magical, sunny occasion worthy of celebrating each year.

In my quest to establish traditions for my son, I've been brainstorming what I can do to make the holiday more meaningful. Our heritage is decidedly Eastern European so I thought it would be fun to bake a chocolate babka for Easter brunch this year. I'm going to attempt to make a "blessing basket" to share with our family as well. After all, we are so very blessed, now and always.

So far, I've painted some wooden eggs. But the painting continues and so does the potential of our new Easter traditions...I wonder how Great Uncle J will feel about painting an egg for E?