Easter 2020

Easter message to my adult son, Reid... 

Saw this card while grocery shopping a few months ago and bought it because it reminded me of Easters past when your dad and I accidentally temporarily traumatized you by wearing bunny costumes. Sorry about that.

Photo of a greeting card with child sitting on Easter Bunny's lap,
caption: "The only thing darker than his chocolate was his soul." 

Even though I’ve apologized many times since, saying I’m sorry doesn’t seem like enough. A store bought card and note commemorating the tragedy probably won’t help, but I want to at least try to right past wrongs. You likely already know it was my idea to dress up like the Easter bunny, totally and completely my bad, so please don’t blame your father. We had good intentions, I promise.

You were 18 months old when I convinced your dad to rent a bunny suit from the local costume shop for a family Easter party. All the little kids delighted in seeing the giant (6’2” not counting the ears) bunny hop toward them with a basket full of candy. All except you. At first sight you screamed bloody murder and cried for several minutes before I was able to calm you down.

Then for a couple weeks afterward you exhibited signs of PTSD, sobbing and screaming “bunny” while pointing toward your dad’s white button down work shirts hanging in our bedroom closet. Ironic that your dad’s name is Harvey, like the JimmyStewart film.

Movie poster of film "Harvey" starring Jimmy Stewart. 

We thought you were too young to benefit from seeing a therapist so we kept the closet door closed tightly, only opening it when you were safely in another room. Out of sight, out of mind. By the following year you seemed fine so we decided to try again, resolute in our innocent parental desire for you to enjoy the traditions of Easter like “normal” children.

Thinking the size of the bunny might have been part of the problem, we rented a smaller costume for me to wear, hoping a dwarf bunny would be less threatening. It was not. Again you screamed and cried, surprising no one, except for me. In an attempt to reassure you, I removed the head of the costume so you could see it was just mommy playing dress up. That backfired spectacularly.

Your eyes opened wide and you froze for a moment while your toddler brain processed what I had done. A nano-second later your emotions kicked into high gear as you screamed “the east bunny ate mommy!” Not a typo. You really did say “east bunny” instead of “Easter bunny” at that age.

Following the entertainment mantra “the show must go on” I hesitantly put the bunny head back on so I could distribute candy and pose for photos with cousins, aunts and uncles patiently waiting outside. Meanwhile your dad ushered you into a bedroom at Grandma Williams’ house to comfort you and sequester you from the party.

After 2 consecutive years of unintended childhood trauma, we finally learned our lesson and gave up on costumed characters. Bless our hearts. We held onto other traditions though, like decorating eggs together, searching for plastic eggs encasing tiny treasures hidden in the back yard, chocolate rabbits and Easter baskets filled with surprise treats. I think you eventually recovered but am willing to pay for a few therapy sessions if not. Again, I’m truly sorry. 

 Scrapbook photos from Easter 1999: Reid (age 2 ½) searching for Easter Eggs with his dad, Harvey. 

Scrapbook photos from Easter 2001: Reid (age 4 ½) happily posing with an anonymous
costumed Easter Bunny (not Harvey or me); also searching for and dying eggs. 

Since we’re living in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, I don’t know how people will celebrate Easter this year. I hope you and Lauren and her family find a way. Perhaps this story and card will distract for a moment, and maybe even elicit a few chuckles. – Mom.

In the spirit of spreading happy, positive, and/or silly vibes:

• Saturday Night Live gives us SNL at home videos.
• Easter bunny delivers holiday cheer while maintaining physical distancing.
• 93 year old granny tells us to keep to the rules.

Daily pandemic update:  

Spain confirmed 510 new deaths, the lowest daily toll since March 23, while it added 4,830 new cases. The US recorded a total death toll of 20,580 surpassing Italy's death toll of 19,468. Cases in the US topped 533,000. The worldwide death toll now stands at over 109,000 with the number of infections topping 1.7 million, including more than 400,000 recovered patients. Aljazeera.com timeline

12 Apr 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
11:38 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	1,710,207	1,792,779	103,506	109,786	382,049	411,690
US	503,177	533,115	18,761	20,580	27,314	30,502
NY	174,489	181,825	7,887	8,650	16,517	17,089
CT	10,538	11,510	448	494	0	34
NC	4,092	4,403	88	90	284	313

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter, son Reid lives in CT, and I live in NC. 
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/     https://www.coronainusa.com/  

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 in the US. 

In the news:

• Pope calls for global solidarity in Easter message.
• Queen Elizabeth offers Easter message of hope, says “coronavirus will not overcome us.”
• Trump spends Easter weekend pondering the biggest decision of his presidency.
• Easter Sunday weather forecast includes tornadoes and hail the size of tennis balls.

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Florida church fills pews with photos.
• Old Salem continues tradition of Moravian Sunrise Service.
• Old Salem baking 50 loaves of bread per day for Second Harvest Food Bank.

In my personal life…

Earlier in the week I mailed a weird Easter card to Reid (see above), and arranged for a few small gifts to be delivered to Lauren’s family to thank them for their gracious hospitality. Gave Greg a chocolate bunny but couldn’t find the kind of jelly beans he likes. One of our neighborhood rabbits set off our Ring camera dozens of times this morning (38 so far and still counting). Not sure if s/he is running sprints in practice to become the Easter Bunny next year or maybe trying to leave his/her scent in as many places as possible as an Easter gift to our beagle Minerva. 

Happy Easter everyone!