Skip to main content

Essential Bunny


Children across the state of Maryland must have been thrilled on Friday at the news the Governor Hogan had declared the Easter Bunny an essential worker, just in time for the ‘legendary’ hare’s hoppy weekend activities.



I had a similar thrill on Friday when I learned to true identity of the Easter Bunny. It turns out she goes to my church.

Of course, I had long suspected this was the case but couldn’t be sure. Every year this mild-mannered parishioner creates an extraordinary Easter Egg Hunt for all the children of our church. When the bigger kids ran roughshod over the little ones, she created two separate Easter Egg Hunts to level the playing field. If she saw anyone was disappointed in their haul, she took note to make things even better the next year.

Of course the Easter Bunny doesn’t put her feet up all the other days of the year. You always suspected there was more to the story, right? How could anyone with such a giving spirit work only one or two days out of the 365?

Once the responsibilities of egg delivery are laid to rest for the year, next up for our industrious friend is the church flea market. This effort takes a lot of work (and a lot of other bunnies)  to pull off, and the end result is a substantial donation to charity. You’re not surprised that the Easter Bunny would be working to pay down school children's lunch debt, now, are you? I thought not.

As summer hits its peak our Easter Bunny is going through flyers from all the local stores, going on a hunt of her own for the best deals on school supplies. You may think you are good at finding Easter eggs but your skills don’t come close to hers as she scores ten pocket folders for a penny or bonus pencils with a ten dollar purchase. All those back to school items? Donated to be given to area students in need.

Despite preparing for her Big Holiday the Easter Bunny has jumped right in to providing items to the Columbia Community Care group, making regular donations to support families in need during the Covid-19 crisis. That Easter Bunny:  the grass doesn’t grow under her feet.

What was the piece of information that revealed to me the identity of the Easter Bunny? A brief exchange on Facebook.

I have filled plastic Easter eggs.  If I put them in your bin tomorrow morning, will they be taken to Swansfield? Terrific!  I will have them there around 9.  I usually fill them for the church's Easter egg hunt...

 I felt something in my heart. When I read those words I just knew. Even in the face of stay-at-home church celebrations and extended families separated from one another, the Easter Bunny was finding a way to bring joy.

I’m not going to reveal the Easter Bunny’s true identity because she doesn’t like to be made much of. And, besides, that would take the fun out of it. You don’t have to take my word for it, either. It’s not so much important to know “who” it is. What’s important to me is that the Easter Bunny does a whole lot more than you ever imagined and that it’s no stretch of the imagination to say that’s she’s an essential worker.

One more thing. The Easter Bunny would never claim credit for herself alone. I suspect she has quite a few helpers in Columbia/HoCo, throughout Maryland, and around the world. Maybe you’re one of them.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents.  When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...
1 comment
Read more

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more