Easter egg hunt...Peter Pan style

I have a confession to make. Until this year, I have gone on an Easter egg hunt in my parent's house. I never got Easter baskets, but I would be lying if I said I didn't look forward to that 15 minutes each year when whatever "kids" were at my house (brothers, Stephen etc.) would race around the house hunting for eggs. Playfully pushing and sabotaging each other was half the fun, and we always just poured the candy into a collective bowl in the end anyway. But there is something about that hunt, that experience that was so intense as a kid, that somehow never stopped being a blast.

This year I guess I turned some kind of corner because this was the first year I didn't go on an Easter egg hunt.

This past Sunday all the youth diligently helped me hide eggs for the little kids at church. I couldn't help but notice their eyes light up as they watched the kids run around, tripping over each other to get as many eggs as they could, watching the parents literally point out the eggs to the kids to help them, and get kinda jealous as the little ones opened their eggs and stuff their faces with candy. Now I knew exactly what that felt like because that was me only one year ago, but I had a feeling a lot of the youth had not gone on an Easter egg hunt in a very long time.

So I decided to give the youth their very own big kid Easter egg hunt. At first I thought that they might think it was stupid, but honestly, if their reaction was anything like my brothers and mine when were were 20 something, I would have achieved my goal. I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to make them stand behind a line and savor the moment as they jumped up and down waiting for me to say "GO!". Suddenly, right before my eyes, they were all five again, and just as determined as when they were in grade school to get the most eggs. Watching them tonight actually transcended any feeling I have ever had going on an Easter egg hunt myself. That is when I knew I wouldn't go on Easter egg hunts anymore. Not because I am too old for them...never...I will probably not go on them anymore because I would rather give the gift to someone else; particularly teenagers because it is so fun to help them rediscover their youth.

There are some things that you just never get to old for. By that I mean, there are some things that never stop being exciting. Going on an Easter egg hunt falls into this category, right next to Birthday presents, dressing up for Halloween and getting a Christmas stocking. Now I am sure that there are some people that hate presents, turn away kids on Halloween and don't do Christmas stockings...I am not talking to those people.

It kinda reminds me of Peter Pan I guess, and the idea that a youthful spirit has nothing to do with how old you are on the outside. I don't know about you, but as for me, I always want to keep the window unlocked just in case Peter Pan decides to show up.