As far as I can remember, I am not at all forgetful. Nevertheless, I have dozens of notepads everywhere: at home, in my car and at work. Whenever I have a thought about something that needs to be done, I jot it down urgently. These little notepads are often small towers of sticky notes that can take a couple of years to use up. So imagine my surprise one day as I peeled off my latest aide mémoire to find a simple message in my daughter’s lovely handwriting: “I love you, Dad” – embellished with a small heart. 

By my reckoning, the note was left at least six months prior, a small thoughtfulness for me to discover one day. For years, I have been turning the pages of notebooks, or opening files, and finding her thoughtful notes. Needless to say, each time, it makes my day … and more. I’m smiling even as I write this, with all her little messages gathered together on my desk, more precious than any treasure. 

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In video games, unexpected treasures that are hidden in the architecture of the game are called Easter eggs. Depending on the game, the eggs hold additional powers, game-related treasures or critically important information that assists the player on the path ahead. They are a treat, sometimes cleverly constructed or masterfully hidden, and they inevitably strike joy in the discoverer. These in-game treats are perfectly named. And so, I have come to refer to my daughter’s notes as Easter eggs.

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There’s an additional synergy to this. One of the most popular days of the year for my children growing up was Easter morning as they searched the house for hidden treats. The Easter egg hunt was non-negotiable. The search and the discovery were more valuable than the treat itself, especially since my daughter doesn’t eat chocolate. 

Equally meaningful for my family was the painting of Easter eggs: preparing the shells, organizing the paints, creating a design. And while I loved the eggs that my children painted, in later years I also had the privilege of working with master painters, a number of them Ukrainian artists, who designed breathtaking eggs that rivalled anything Fabergé has ever fabricated. For my Ukrainian colleagues, Pysanky, or eggs created by painting using wax, were as much a testament to their deep faith as they were to a passion, and a talent, for art. 

The association of eggs with Easter makes all kinds of sense. Eggs are a symbol of birth. Easter is the celebration of the rebirth of Jesus, and by extension, the rebirthing of humanity. What more fitting image, then, of hopeful anticipation and of coming life. It’s a fact I try to cling to even amidst the dire commercialization of Easter, and the reduction of eggs to chocolate treats with nothing more promising to offer than excess calories or early onset diabetes. (Okay, that was harsh.) But it remains true that we sometimes need to struggle through the clutter of commercialisation to reach the origins and beauty of Easter. Ironic that when we approach it through a secular lens, the Christian miracle becomes the Easter egg, instead of the main game! 

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For people of faith, however, the promise of Easter is a miracle gift. It emits a shine of hope over everything. And unlike the Easter hunt, this gift isn’t hidden — it’s there in plain sight, asking only that we open our hearts to grasp it. What a marvellous gift that is — a high note, surely, that we can discover each and every day. 

This column’s epigraph is from Job, one of the few references to eggs in the Bible. I chose it thinking it referenced parenting. It does, but in a different context to what I remembered. The full quote puts things into perspective: “The ostrich’s wings flap wildly/ though its pinions lack plumage/ For it leaves its eggs to the earth/ and lets them be warmed on the ground/ forgetting that a foot may crush them/ and that a wild animal may trample them.” It reminded me we sometimes do the same with what we value most, perhaps casually leaving family, friends, faith, on the ground beside us while forgetting to cherish and protect the things we love. Ultimately, that is the true Easter message. And I don’t need to leave a note to remind me.