Easter

My mom came home today and not a moment too soon. She was getting cranky. I for one can tell you, being around her when she's cranky is not a lot of fun. I guess she knew that it was getting close to Easter and she wanted to be home.
As a Christian Easter is probably the most significant religious holiday even surpassing Christmas because of what it means to her faith, but she also enjoys the pagan part too. When family and more specifically children come to visit with Easter frocks and hats, new pants and shiny shoes, her face lights up.
For as long as I can remember, before age and illness took her strength and balance, she enjoyed hunting Easter eggs. She would never hide the eggs because she always wanted to get out in the yard with the little ones and help them fill their baskets with eggs. She would always pick the underdog child who arrived a second too late only to have the eggs scarfed up by a bigger, faster kid.
Once she picked out the kid she wanted to help she would shadow them and give them hints. She wouldn't pick up the egg for the kid because that would take the fun out of it for the child but she made sure they found their share. She was not above doing a little blocking and subterfuge to sidetrack the bigger kids long enough to ensure the underdog could bag some eggs.
Nowadays, she usually sits on the porch in the warm sunshine and silently picks the child she would have helped had she been able to walk, and watches intently helping guide them with her thoughts.
Now I try to pick up where she left off. As the hunt begins, I'll watch her and I can tell by the look in her eye which child she wants to help and I make sure the kid gets some eggs. I always know if I've been successful by the smiles on the faces of the child and my mother.