It’s not hard to see the tensions between a life committed to love and justice for all and one focused on destroying enemies and protecting the few. Easter Sunday 2026 offered one of the clearest pictures of this contradiction. This post is about the importance of play in a world in distress.

Geraldine and I took a road trip this Easter to visit friends and family in MA and VT. It was a somewhat last-minute trip full of surprises, joys and fun. I’ve written in the past about Traveling Mercies; I also believe strongly in Traveling Blessings. This trip was full of both.

We celebrated Easter at St Cecilia’s Church in Boston. Father John Unni is the long-time pastor there. He is an inspiring preacher of Jesus’ message to love, fight for justice, and serve the poor. During Covid, St. Cecilia’s made its Sunday worship available on zoom. A friend recommended it, and St Cecilia’s became our go-to Sunday liturgy.

The church was full, as were two overflow rooms. Faith in Jesus risen and his message was palpable in the smiles, the singing and the worship. One of the added parts of Easter liturgy is the renewal of Baptismal promises and the sprinkling of holy water on the congregation with hyssop, a green plant that looks like a big hand. In introducing this renewal exercise, Father John prayed we could do it joyfully.

As he marched up and down every aisle, Father John smiled and with great delight heaped water on all nearby. As he came by our pew, he commented, we’re supposed to do this joyfully, aren’t we, as he flashed a youngster’s smile.

Meanwhile, back at the White House early Easter Sunday, our President decided to use foul language in his morning tweet to threaten to destroy Iran and return it to the Stone Age. He even managed to offend Allah in his short message.

Life is messy, really messy, these days. And so we need to look for opportunities to play. I’ve always found play as an adult a little mysterious and didn’t value it. I enjoyed playing cards, board games, playing with grandkids, exploring new places in real time or in books, and being part of playful groups. 

I was talking with my friend Mary a few weeks ago about play. She’s 86. She told me she insists on some form of play every day. I asked her for examples. She talked about playing with her cats or just watching them play, sitting in the garden and enjoying the flowers, drawing and painting, going for a walk and just taking in the beauty.

Mary reminded me that I do play more often than I give myself credit. Play is not as mysterious as I might tell myself.

On our trip, I found myself paying attention to play. We were waiting outside a school on Friday afternoon. A Mom was taking her young son to their car when a girl of the same age came over and said hi. They exchanged a gentle hug. The little boy asked if his friend could come over. Mom replied yes; we’ll plan a play date.

Play dates. What a lovely practice that we all could adopt – play dates with ourselves, with our partners, spouses, children, grandchildren and friends.

While visiting friends in Vermont, they took us to a local art center, The Highland Center for the Arts. In addition to interesting paintings by local artists, we found an amazing “play” exhibit. The Center had turned a room the size of two classrooms into a build-it-yourself playroom for local school groups. In less than a month, visiting classes had created, out of cardboard boxes, countless ways to play. Their imaginations had resulted in a complex set of tunnels through which little balls traveled. There were several pinball games with flippers that worked and bumpers to move your ball through. My friend and I, both enthusiastic pinballers, thrilled at how real this student-made game was. It had everything except the clanging of the bells when you hit a bumper!

And for kids more into the occult and magic of today’s literature, there were games us older folks didn’t quite understand.

As we traveled and visited, I was amazed at the opportunities to watch the playfulness of others or play myself.

The hope of Easter and some play offer a much-needed respite from our crazy world. Making time to let go of worry, anxiety and our busy schedules can lead to play if we so choose. It’s working well for my friend Mary!