When I was in 4th grade we were learning about surveys. One of the questions on the sheet was to choose your favorite holiday. I chose Easter. Now, what kid names Easter as their favorite holiday? I was the only one, far out-weighed by the winning choice—Christmas. Ahh, but so much of life is about our individual experiences and the perfect timing behind them. It turned out that I had the best Easter bunny on the planet at just the perfect time in my life. My parents would hide so many eggs that it took all day to find them. And I was always a sucker for a scavenger hunt. Between eggs hidden in the creek’s shore to the cornfield’s edge and the dock (and the fact that my dad would re-hide the eggs when we weren’t looking) the egg hunt eventually became a hunt to catch the Easter bunny. “I saw him go around the corner of the house,” my dad would say. We’d go running, only to “just miss” him. But we’d find a new egg in a spot we already visited, so we knew he was really out there with us! Never did catch him though. I always wanted my birthday to fall on Easter. In the 70s I began paying attention to the day of the week my birthday would fall on, because I hoped the Sunday birthday might be the same day as Easter. In 1978 I came close, but no cigar. I pouted. But it turned out that it fell on Grandma’s birthday that year, and she was in her 70s. “You need to be happy for your grandma,” mom said. “She waited her whole life too, so don’t pout. You have a lot of time left.” It would be the only time Easter would fall on her birthday. As the adolescent years passed, my favorite holiday soon became Christmas, but those egg hunts my mom and dad provided stay with me forever. The year 2000 was special for me. My life changed dramatically, and when I wasn’t paying attention, Easter finally fell on my birthday that year. On top of it, my mother turned 70 that year and I was exactly half her age. That would never happen again, and my birthday will not fall on Easter again in my lifetime. Today is David Cassidy’s birthday. He would have turned 70. And his birthday will not fall on Easter again in our lifetime. Somewhere in all of that, I feel a connection. And while we face a frightening time in history together, not knowing how it will unfold, stuck in our house, we can at least share our memories. I’d love to hear yours. Whether it’s a church service, an Easter egg hunt, or chocolate bunnies, it seems there’s always something to share. I’m grateful for that. I miss you, mom and dad. You were the best. And happy birthday David. And happy Easter to all. ~
