Years ago on the Saturday before Easter, I ducked into the pastor’s office at our church and slipped on the very same Easter Bunny costume you seen pictured here. Once I had slipped on my floppy feet and made sure my tail was nice and fluffy, I stumbled my way back upstairs with the help of a few bunny assistants, plopped myself in a chair, and proceeded to let little kid after little kid get his or her picture taken with me, all a part of the noncompetitive Easter egg hunt that the church puts on every year that’s open for any kid in the community.
It was a bit difficult to get a full view of the kids’ faces because of the impossibly large bunny head that was planted on my neck, but I managed to make out some incredibly happy smiles on those little faces, mixed in with various expressions of terror here and there, which is pretty understandable given that there was a 6-foot tall bunny looming over them. Still, there were mostly squeals of delight coming from those little imps, which I’m sure was due primarily to the fact they were meeting the dude that they believe had already put chocolate in the bags they had gotten at the Easter egg hunt and that would be bringing them even more the next morning. Of course, being the consummate actor that I am, I was more than willing to take full credit for the chocolate and bask in the reverence the little tots displayed. Even the occasional wise acre who questioned “why are your arms so hairy” or “why are you wearing socks” or even my own daughters threatening to spill the beans to everyone within earshot by calling me “dad” couldn’t spoil the experience.
I’ve think about that day every Easter. It was honestly one of the most fulfilling days I’ve spent on earth. Anyone could have put that suit on and done the same, and in fact, many people have. But on that day at least, I was the man, or the bunny as it was, and the joy I received in return was immeasurable.
You only get so many Easters with your kids before they grow older and the prospect of searching for hard-boiled eggs colored really pretty becomes not that interesting. You only get so years to witness those smiles and the wonderment and surprise. Before you know it, what your kids want to do more than anything on Easter morning is sleep.
Every Easter, I also think of the several years of church services in which I’d help carry the cross of flowers from the sanctuary to the altar and how special that felt. No matter your religious views, moments like that are cause for great personal reflection. Moments like, at least for me, make me feel part of something for greater and significant than myself.
I’m grateful I have a few more years of Easters to share with my youngest daughter. I look forward to meeting the Easter bunny each year and hitting him up for some candy. I look forward to her also experiencing her own moments of reflection and joy.
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