Day 328

4/9/23

Easter Sunday holds such a special place in my heart! It is simply the announcement of new life and hope on any level you choose.

Church was amazing!

The weather hinted of warm promise and a few daylilies were trying to nudge their way out of the soil.

Brunch with the kids was so special!

The Easter Egg Hunt (Thank you Mac!) was adorable!

Digging through Easter Baskets was fun (Asher and Grandpuppy, Bachka, were the best!)

Memories flooding my heart from Easters past.

Of course, family recollections are held close, but I found myself smiling as I remembered one special Easter Event when I taught First Grade at Eisenhower...

We grouped the children together every Friday afternoon to celebrate the week with "Fun Club." The students had to earn the right to join the festivities (everyone was always included) and all four rooms would convene for a special activity.

Right before Easter break, we gathered and told the students that we would be doing an art project. All of a sudden, the loudspeaker came on in the room and all 120 children looked at the box on the wall.

I need to give a shout-out to one of the finest men and greatest principals out there! Stan Peichel was fair, empathetic, kind and FUN! He has a very special place in my heart!

Mr. Peichel announced that he needed some help. There had been a large animal sighted behind the school and it seemed to be throwing colorful bags of "something" into the wooded area. At this point, you could have heard a pin drop!! He then asked if there were any children in the room who would be willing to go outside and help solve this mystery.

I cannot describe the uproar and screams, yells and shrieks of delight. We could hardly contain them from immediately running out the door, down the hallway and outside! Of course, this was in a more innocent, magical time in the school setting, so we were not overly concerned about law suits or dangers lurking in the woods.

Somehow, the four teachers successfully herded the detectives out the doors and let them loose. (There was no hope of containing them at that point!.) As the fastest runners entered the woods, they started to scream with delight! There were tons of bagged candy strewn around the greenery! It must have been the Easter Bunny, all agreed!

What a beautiful memory of a gentler time. Those kids probably didn't get their full allotted time for math or reading that day, but the memories from that adventure surely reside in each and every heart! Perhaps, it was even a lesson in fantasy and wonder. It certainly was one of my favorite times!

As for my Goldens, they had to settle for filled peanut butter bones from the Big Bunny! They seemed perfectly happy!