“Sometimes when you sacrifice something precious, you’re not really losing it, you’re just passing it on to someone else”

– Mitch Albom

In the lead up to Easter, this quote really resonated. Sacrifice. Surrender of something desirable for the sake of a higher claim.

When was the last time you sacrificed something for someone or something else?

My guess is that you did it in the last 24 hours. Maybe it was helping your parent, serving a child, enduring a teenager. That’s what being in relationship is all about.

And while we don’t seek to advertise it, many of us dismiss it altogether. Humility can diminish our grace.

Writing letters from mothers (and fathers) to their children, I see this propensity become habit.

Over the years we marinate in our own sense of duty. Sometimes it takes a reality check, another perspective, for you to be reminded of the honour in your intentions, regardless of the occasional clumsiness of delivery.

Recently I was working on a letter from a mother to her adult daughter. It was no Hallmark card. People think the alternative to a Postscript is writing a letter themselves. But in truth, the more popular alternative is to just say nothing. Terrified of saying the wrong thing, we avoid the topic (or the person) altogether. This can splinter the relationship and ultimately lead to it diminishing and breaking down.

The harder path is to find the courage, tools and resources to invest in the conversation.

That’s what this mum did. And in doing so, the letter she will present is an olive branch, a reconciliation and rebuilding. Sacrifice comes in many disguises. It can be in the courage to communicate with words that are life giving, that build up and don’t tear down, the courage to surrender, to listen, to start again.

So this Easter, as we reflect on the grace, surrender and sacrifice of another, consider the ways you show up in the smallest and most important of ways for the people you care about.

To quote Mitch Albom again,

“Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.”

Have a wonderful Easter Break and don’t overdo it on the chocolate.