Spring is always a time to celebrate the rebirth of the land as the browns of winter give way to the greening of landscapes, and we are gifted with the many flowers that pop up to say, “hello.” This is always a season of excitement and hope for me every year, but right now it’s hard to cling to that in the face of the social unrest and uncertainty in our world.
But still…
There it is… the iris that blooms in my yard every year. The plant survived the tear-down of the old house that had sat on this property for years, as well as the construction of my house, so there is something to be said for the strength and endurance and faith of these flowers. Every year the hearty Iris reminds me that things will be torn down and new things built and most of us will survive it all.
We can persevere!
Now, to lighten the mood I offer you this excerpt from my humorous memoir, A Dead Tomato Plant and A Paycheck. I remember so well the moment the Easter-Bunny bubble was burst.
Holidays are definitely more fun when children are young and Santa and the Easter Bunny are given more deference than Mom. We grown-ups can delight in a child’s excitement about one of those benevolent creatures, and maybe, even for a little while, forget that mature people aren’t supposed to believe any more.
With as many kids as we had, we were able to keep that magic of childhood belief alive for a long time, right about until the twins turned seven. That was the year I realized we had probably just experienced our “swan song” when it came to the delights of the Easter Bunny.
I got my first hint of this impending change one day when the twins had been playing out in the garage, and they came bursting in the back door, falling all over each other with excitement and questions.
“Guess what we just found!”
“What?”
“A bag full of Easter baskets.”
“Oh … “
“And they looked just like our baskets from last year.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. And you said you gave our baskets back to the Easter Bunny last year.”
“Maybe he forgot them. He’s very busy you know.”
“Do you think he’ll remember to come and get them in time to fill them with candy this year?”
“Oh, I’m sure he will.”
“How does the Easter Bunny know they’re out there in that black bag?”
“He has his ways. He’s a very smart rabbit.”
That seemed to satisfy them, at least temporarily, but I knew it wouldn’t last for long. In time, the Easter Bunny and Santa and the Tooth Fairy would all be outed, but in my eternal optimism, I kept hoping for one more year.
By evening on Easter Sunday, however, my hopes were dashed as I overheard the twins in their room comparing the remains of their baskets.
“Hey, look! I’ve got four marshmallow eggs and 25 jelly beans left.”
“I’ve got two squishy chicks and lots of trash.”
“That was a lot of candy. The Easter Bunny must have stayed up all night making it.”
“Aw, he didn’t make it. I saw it all last week at Target when I went shopping with Dad.”
If Easter is the holiday you celebrate, I hope you have a great day with family, and don’t eat too many chocolate bunnies.
No matter what holiday you celebrate at this time of the year, I wish you joy and peace and happiness as we renew ourselves in mind and body and spirit.
