This is a great read that is perfect for reflecting for this coming Holy Week. My co-egroup member Julie gave me permission to share her story. Please prepare some tissues for some happy tears :)
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Unexpected Blessing
By: Julie J. Hunter
His name was Aaron, and I will never forget him. I was 16 years old and trying to hold down two jobs and finish my high school education. I babysat after school and on the weekends. My new job was an unbelievable opportunity. I was going to be the Easter Bunny at my local mall. Yes, you just read the words; I was the Easter Bunny. This opportunity was one of the most interesting jobs that I have ever had in my life. I mean, think about it I was being paid to "bounce"around the mall in a 7-foot fur covered rabbit suit, bringing smiles and giggles to children and adults of every age. Little did I realize that this job, this moment in my youth, would be one of the most rewarding of my life.
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| photo borrowed from costumesupercenter.com |
At first glance, the suit seemed bigger than life. It was everything you imagined the Easter Bunny would look like in the mind of a child. The suit was soft and smooth to the touch. The animated eyes and inviting smile tinted upon the rabbit's face were visions of my childhood past. The large blue eyes danced with a childlike mischief, and the smile; the smile opened the door to the majesty of colorful bespeckeled eggs hidden in tall wheat grass and decadent milk chocolate bunnies placed gently in the chubby hand of a cherubic three-year old tasting the sweet milk of childhood for the first time. The giggles that emanated from passerby both young and old made me laugh aloud. It was a chance to escape the harsh reality of the world in which I lived. In that moment in time, all was magical, sweet, and innocent. Fun, fun is what I remember feeling, and gratefulness.
It was my third day "in the suit". I was the lone female rabbit and shared this coveted duty with Ron. We worked opposite shifts and the mall employees learned to distinguish us by my perfume. I hope that I smelled better than Ron did. One afternoon, I was sitting on my very distinguished looking throne taking a water break when I saw a woman approaching me very timidly. The photographer working with me asked the woman if we could help her and if she was here to see the Easter Bunny. The woman quietly asked to speak only with the person working inside the bunny suit. My photographer asked me if I would speak with the woman and I said of course.
She walked up to me in halting steps and her eyes were brimming over with tears. I remember being taken aback because I could not see what had upset her so. She leaned in to me and asked in a still soft voice if I minded if she brought her son over to have his picture taken with me. I of course answered, "Sure. No problem." However, she just stood there staring at me through the small holes that had been veiled to allow me to see my surroundings better. Large giant tears spilled over onto her cheeks and she thanked me profoundly. Still confused I told her that I did not understand why she asked my permission to have a picture taken. I mean, after all, that is what I was hired to do. Then I saw him. Aaron, blonde headed, beautiful blue eyed Aaron.
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| photo borrowed from frostedproductions.com |
Until the birth of my youngest son, I had never seen clearer and more beautiful blue eyes. They were comparable to a full moon spilling its loveliness onto a clear lake of peace and serenity. Aaron was not what society would call your "average" little boy. Aaron, all three years of him, sat propped upright in his wheelchair. This wheelchair was his lifeblood when he was away from his home. Its functions were varied and multifaceted. Not only did it seat his frail slight body, but it also carried the ventilator and the suction machine that Aaron needed to stay alive if he traveled outside the safe cocoon of his home.
I sat there, quietly mesmerized by the beauty of this little boy. His mother rolled him up to me and I placed my fur-covered hand on top of his. With his fragile left hand, he reached for my paw and patted it ever so gently. I sat there and silently sobbed, cloaked in the sanctity of my costume. Giant tears of gratefulness washed down my cheeks. I was blessed to be the one chosen to be in the suit that day. I was the one that Aaron would change forever. I then realized that if it was at all possible, I would hold this child upon my lap and hopefully give him and his mother a memory that would last them all the days of their lives; the memory of Aaron being proudly held by the Easter Bunny.
And so, it was with great care to be as gentle as possible that this beautiful mother lifted this blessed angel from the shackles of what he had come to know as his normal, his wheelchair, and sat him sweetly upon my lap. The tubes were strategically hidden and on that day, memories were solidified forever on a piece of paper that would transform itself into a form of gold to Aaron's mother. This was after all his first picture with the Easter Bunny.
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| photo borrowed from dfwfunnybusiness.com |
Once the picture taking was finished Aaron's mother reached for him to place Aaron back into his wheelchair. I held up my hand to halt her progress. I just wanted to hold him and wish away all of his pain and his fears. Aaron had this beautiful head of light blonde hair. It glistened in the glow of his surroundings. It seemed to bathe him in a gleaming light of innocence and protection. In reality, it could have been a halo. I do indeed believe that I was in the presence of one of God's precious angels. As I held him, I sobbed for him and for all the tomorrows, I thought he would miss. I cried for his life that in moments was overwhelmed and held captive by pain and the unknown reality of his tomorrows. I cried for myself, for Aaron touched me so deeply that his face is forever burned upon my memory.
Aaron, my beautiful little guardian angel, peace be with you and thank you for blessing my life. My prayer for you has always been that your tomorrows are full of merriment and vibrant dreams that become your actuality. Thank you for changing my life and making me more aware, more patient, kinder and more grateful for everything that God has blessed me with; may love and kindness follow you all the days of your life. My love goes out to you, wherever you are Aaron. Please know that you made this world a better place to live in.
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