An Easter Surprise

I have many fond memories of Easter, but the one that stands out most in my mind is the one that actually started out as a huge disappointment. Easter fell the third weekend in April that year, and it arrived with a rather unwelcome surprise.

I had just put on my new Easter outfit and rushed downstairs to look for my Easter basket, which I expected would be filled with chocolate and marshmallow treats the way it always had been on past Easter mornings. I finally located it, but not before I heard my mom enter the room and complain about what was going on outside. I remember quickly going into the kitchen to look out the window and observing that it was snowing quite heavily.

What a surprise, I thought. The weather had been warm and sunny most of the month, and not even the weatherman on television had mentioned any possibility of a snowstorm.

My mother was especially upset about the weather since she had made a reservation for the family to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, a real treat since we only ate there on special occasions because it was quite expensive. Mom had also arranged for us to attend a special Easter concert later. She expressed her feelings to dad and vented about how she tolerated the long, cold New England winters and traveling in the snow, but how she hadn't realized she would need to pull out the winter boots and jackets in this warm season with summer just around the corner.

My memories of Easter that year included she and dad discussing what to do and finally agreeing that we'd all stay home and have a good time playing games and watching a special Easter show later on. When my brother and I complained about staying in all day, mom suggested that we make the best of our time together as a family and that we could still have a lot of fun, adding that she would get reservations at the restaurant for the following week and that she would schedule another special outing for us afterward.

I recall continuing to feel very disappointed and unhappy about the change in plans and having to stay at home. However, mom made a great meal and dad joked around with us and played some of my favorite games, so that my unhappy feelings eventually left, and I found myself having a very good time, just as mom had predicted.

As we continued to play, the doorbell suddenly rang. I remember jumping up and racing my brother to the door. When I opened it, there stood our closest neighbor, cradling a large package firmly in her arms. I wondered why she was here, but mom and dad didn't seem surprised at all. Mom and our neighbor went into another room as my dad stayed and continued the game that my brother and I had been playing with him.

Eventually, my mother returned to the room with our neighbor. They had a cup of coffee and conversed with us for awhile. After the neighbor left, I remember asking mom about why she had come and what was in the package she had had with her. Mom just said that our neighbor was moving shortly and couldn't take some things with her that she wanted our family to have. When I inquired further, mom just commented jokingly that I was a little too nosy for my nine years of age and that I would just have to wait to find out.

A short while later, I went upstairs to change into something more comfortable for the remainder of the day. As I hung up my dress, I suddenly heard the strangest noises coming from the back of my walk in closet. I listened more closely and began to worry that the scratching sounds might indicate a mouse or other animal that had somehow gotten into the house. I was scared, but my curiosity got the best of me, and I continued in the direction of where the sounds were coming from until I was able to locate the source.

What a surprise I found! There under some of my clothes and books was a cage with the tiniest and cutest albino guinea pig in it. I immediately fell in love with her and decided to call her Snow White.

I thanked my parents for allowing me to have her, and they suggested I call and thank our neighbor. I later discovered that she had known from my parents that I'd wanted a guinea pig for several months now, and she had recently come across the opportunity to obtain one from a friend. She also came over several times to show me the best ways to care for Snow White and gave me some additional toys for her. The neighbor moved a few weeks later, but she and I would communicate by mail, including at Easter time, and I would share photos of Snow White and me with her.

My memories of Easter the year I received Snow White are filled with good feelings, surprise, and a short lesson from the book of life. When things don't go as planned or we end up with something we didn't want instead of what we wanted, we can continue to feel disappointed or upset or make the best of it. If we make the best of it, we can experience good feelings and more more enjoyment as well as possible outcomes we did not expect.