Eating the Children's Candy

My office this week smells like chocolate. You can almost feel as though you can taste it in the air, so rich and creamy. The air seems to speak to you: "Eat me, eat me!" Don't you wish you were here already?

Over 200 plastic eggs sit in my office stuffed with chocolate. One of the many hats of my job this week has included making preparations for the preschool and children's Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday. It is going to be a festive event on the lawn for our families that has everyone excited. All the kids can wait to get the candy!

And I have to confess that this week, I've had one of those weeks, when the temptation to eat chocolate has gotten to me, especially with it so close to my desk! All sorts of out of the ordinary situations have occurred. Pastoral needs have abounded. Holy week is coming soon which means lot of extra worship planning and preparations. Because chocolate has been my ever constant friend during time of this week's trouble, I've almost eaten now an entire bag of by myself. Of course I can replace it (and probably should), I've told myself while eating.

All the while, I've sent prayers of thanksgiving to the person who send chocolate to my office during such a week of need. And, currently, I'm thankful that the egg hunt is on Sunday morning, so that by Monday the candy will be gone and in the Easter baskets of what will be some very hyper kids!

I know that Easter's true message has nothing to do with chocolate, Easter baskets, or eggs, but there are times when the simplest of life's pleasures can help us have the energy to move on to the more important stuff. This is what I must keep working on right now . . .

Palm Sunday sermon needs to be written today! Could you pass the chocolate?