easters gone by...

easter memories 
my first easter memory is of me coming through the front door at my mamaw's and papaw's house, my mamaw telling me the easter bunny had been there and had left me something in their back yard, then running through the kitchen to the back door of their house and seeing a big, stuffed easter duck peaking out from behind an oak tree in their back yard. 
it was in that very back yard, where i remember years of my aunt and uncle, mary ann and steve, hiding easter eggs for me and my cousin, neel. they hid them over and over again until the brightly colored eggs were mushy. 
at home, the easter bunny always brought me my easter loot in the same big easter basket; it was naturally light brown with a little pink and green woven around the outside of the base and along the large looped handle. upon the bright green, plastic, easter grass lining the bottom of the basket usually sat a large, plush, floppy-eared bunny and lay copious amounts of reese's eggs, peeps, a rather large, hollow, chocolate rabbit with a candy eye, and malted milk, speckled robin eggs. 
when i got older, i remember a year, the long eared one bought me a box of chocolates in the shape of an egg and a lionel richie album (now that was tight;). 
my senior year in high school marked my last visit by the easter bunny.  last by not least, he totally outdid himself. he brought me a a lanz, navy, linen dress with a pristine, white collar... just like the one i had fallen in love with at the fashion tree (my favorite little boutique).
even though the easter bunny stopped visiting me, i continued to receive surprises. the first year john and i were married, he surprised me with the most beautiful, flavia snow globe. inside the globe was a little wagon holding floppy-eared rabbit. it played the dance of the sugar plum fairies. i LOVED it and still do.  it's one of my favorite things ever!
then came easters with katherine... her hand-painted easter basket always filled with her favorite candies, all the failed attempts to get her picture made with the easter bunny at the mall (lol, she's still deathly afraid of the easter bunny), all dyed eggs, all the pretty dresses with hair bows to match,  all the chocolate messes...
~@~
all those easters past leading up to today...
although my katherine is now a freshman in high school, the rabbit continued to deliver. this morning katherine elizabeth awoke to her basket filled with candy and dvd's she wanted.  today our family was happy, healthy, and together.
today was good! i hope yours was, too.
thank you, God, for giving us two easters to celebrate... the resurrection of your Son and the one with the easter bunny, both of which bring us great joy:D
love and God's blessings, dani xxx