Each year I remember and cherish the beauty, joy, love, and hope of Easter Sundays. Baskets, hunting eggs, decorating hard- boiled eggs, a new spring dress made by my grandmother and shoes to match was exciting. After receiving my basket from the Easter Bunny, I walked up Church Street in my new spring dress, and white sandals feeling proud. The joy that has lasted with me for my lifetime was to come when I went into the little Sunday School room at the top of the outside stairs into the First Methodist Church. My beloved teacher, Mrs. Mae Vann, shared the story of her sunrise experience. She had awoken in the darkness of early morning and gathered with a group from our church to sit on the bleachers at the football field behind SHS. After prayers and reading of the empty tomb, the morning sun came over the horizon and illuminated the sky. It was a moment of knowing that light will always overcome darkness. We were awed when she told us the story and led us in the same prayers that brought on the bright sky. We were surprised when she told us that a member of our class, Roy Hayes, had been among the group. He is the grandson of Dr. Dess and moved away after graduating. Each Easter my heart is filled with the beauty, joy, hope and love that light can always overcome darkness. As my children were growing up, my husband, Al, and I made the celebration of Easter more than rabbits and hunting for eggs. However, my sons and daughter did enjoy all of the traditions. I have one of these stories left to tell. Since they did not have a taste for hard-boiled eggs, we were happy to find the plastic egg that could be opened. Al and I filled each egg with a candy egg and hid them around our yard while they were still sleeping. One Easter morning before they were allowed to go out to hunt, we looked out to find our yard was filled with the opened plastic eggs, and all the candy eggs had been eaten by our dog. I leave you with this tale to wish you all the happiness that Easter brings each year.
