When I was at Blissdom in February, I had a chance to visit the Hershey’s booth!
It was a great booth to visit because they had baskets full of Easter candy that they were handing out all day long! I may have stopped by that booth one or two or three… (ahem) times a day
Oh my, I love Hershey’s chocolate, don’t you?!
One of the cool things we were able to do was create our very own Easter basket full of Hershey’s goodies. 
We chose our basket items on a computer screen, and then a couple weeks after Blissdom, I received my basket in the mail!
Yum!
I chose:
Cadbury Crème Mini Eggs – 12 ct.
Reese’s Reester Peanut Butter Bunny
I got items that I thought my boys would like, so I could use them in their Easter baskets this year.
Over at the Hershey’s website site, they have a place for us to share our favorite Easter memories.
Two years ago, I shared with you some childhood Easter pictures that I found. Here are a few of my favorite memories…
Every year we colored Easter eggs to take
to my grandmother’s house for the big Easter Egg Hunt.
(Cyndi, Blake, Me)
I was always so excited on the night before Easter when we got to sit our Easter baskets outside our front door. I knew that the Easter Bunny would be hopping down the street as I slept and would fill my basket with lots of goodies. We would awake on Easter morning, open the front door, and find our beautiful Easter Baskets wrapped in colorful cellophane!
(me, Cyndi, Blake)
I loved getting dressed up for church on Easter morning.
It was always a special day of celebration!
(me and Mom)
I especially loved it when we got to wear a corsage! I loved the smell of those Easter flowers below my nose!
(Cyndi, Me, Blake, Mr. Inchworm)
But my favorite Easter memory of all has to do with my mom. I shared this story two years ago, but if you don’t mind, I’d like to share it with you again.
I don’t know exactly what year it was, but I was in elementary school.
Mom was our Sunday School teacher at church, and she was always inviting other little children to come with us.
I remember for a while that every Sunday morning we would pick up a little girl across town and take her to church with us. She was probably 5 or 6 years old.
I don’t remember much about our relationship with this family, I just remember that this little girl was very poor and didn’t have much.
Easter Sunday was approaching and this little girl had told Mom that she didn’t have a dress to wear on Sunday morning. (She usually wore jeans and a shirt.)
Mom asked her what kind of dress she would wear if she had one? The little girl said she always wanted a pink dress with lots and lots of ruffles!
(I could see the wheels turning in Mom’s head.)
Mom was an amazing seamstress. She could sew anything. And her mind was set on making this little girl an Easter dress.
Because Mom was always busy and usually did things last minute (just like me), she started making the dress the night before Easter.
I remember going to bed and hearing the whirl of the sewing machine as Mom worked quickly to get the dress sewn before morning.
When I woke up the next morning, I could still hear Mom working on the sewing machine. She was putting the finishing touches on the dress. She had stayed up all night, never sleeping, to finish the dress.
Finally it was finished, and Mom held it up for me to see. It was the most beautiful dress you have ever seen! A beautiful pale pink with 3 or 4 layers of ruffles in the front. I remember touches of white lace on the sleeves and bottom, and it tied with a big pink bow in the back.
Mom quickly got dressed, and we were off to deliver this Easter surprise to the little girl.
Of course, she was so excited, and she ran in the house to put on her new Easter dress! I don’t know who was smiling more…her or Mom. (or me.)
That memory not only made it into my mind, but it made it into my heart as well.
I saw first hand what joy it brings to do things for others.
Mom had sacrificed her sleep and her time to bless this little girl, and I saw first hand the rewards our sacrifices can bring.
Mom showed me how to put the interests of others above my own.
She had always told me to do this, but she also showed me how to do this. Our actions speak so much louder than our words, don’t they?
It is an Easter memory I will never forget, and you can bet that little girl never will either!
Have a blessed Sunday!
