Easter Glamour
It was Easter and a time of joy and celebration for the small Christian Family. Both of the two young children had gotten the cutest little Easter Outfits, and their mother was beside herself with joy. David had a cute little Sailor Outfit with new black shoes that made him look so adorable. His sister Becky, two years older, had a Yellow Outfit that was more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. She was at the perfect age, almost six years old, and she could mirror her mother’s excitement about the Easter Outfits. This little yellow dress had all of the accessories. It had a matching hat, purse, gloves, and lacy white socks that fit perfectly into her new shiny white shoes. Becky thought the purse made it perfect. She felt so grown up and beautiful.
The Egg Hunt
The family finished up their Easter Morning Worship by going to the maternal grandparent’s house to hide Easter Eggs. Almost all of the aunts and their families were there to celebrate one of the two most blessed of holidays. The Grandmother took pictures and hoped that she had captured a cute picture of David pointing at the sun while closing his eyes. She was disappointed that his sister was having problems posing for the photos. The noonday sun was especially bright that day, and she kept closing her eyes. Her grandmother had given up on trying to get a picture of the little girl with a smile. Her goal quickly changed to get any picture with the child’s eyes open and looking at the camera. A smile at this point would be a bonus. Her Mother’s, Aunt’s, and Grandmother’s instructions were only being followed by complaints from the little girl. Her little brother agreed and closed his eyes, pointing at the bright sun to show his grandmother why his big sister was complaining. He raised his arm as high as he could, exposing his naked tummy. Snap had gone the camera lens, and his adorable antics were family history.
The Pictures
After the film was developed, the grandmother looked forward to showing her daughter and everyone in the family how she had gotten the impossible shot of David pointing at the sun. They stood in the kitchen, huddled around the pictures, and kept questioning each other on why David was doing such a cute but unusual thing as he posed for his picture. They all agreed that his little stomach peeking out from under his Sailor Outfit made it especially cute. The image of his sister was disappointingly unremarkable; she stood squinting, barely looking up at the camera. The Grandmother was disappointed and slightly annoyed that she did not have a better picture of the adorable Yellow Outfit. Still, she decided it was better to focus on the cute picture she had captured of her grandson.
Grandpa to The Rescue
The Grandfather noticed that his granddaughter, Becky, seemed sad. He told the women also to tell Becky how beautiful she looked in her Easter Outfit. As usual, it was his daughter, Ellen, who wanted to stand up for the women and argue their point to her father. Ellen pointed out that just because an outfit is cute, it doesn’t mean a child is handsome or beautiful in it. She explained that the child’s personality made the outfit special. She said that David was being adorable in his sailor outfit and that Becky didn’t even try to smile for the camera.
Hating Yellow
Becky had been listening to all of the adult’s comments about the pictures. She accepted her Aunt’s logic and decided she was not beautiful when she wore the Yellow Outfit and that she had not been telling herself the truth. She now realized she was wrong to think the beautiful outfit made her beautiful, and that she was not special. She knew if she were special or beautiful, the women would have said so. She knew her Grandfather loved her and did not want her to be sad. The Grandfather did persist until Becky’s mother and grandmother said something about Becky looking good in the beautiful outfit. However, Becky had already accepted the truth from her Aunt Ellen and ignored any comments her grandfather had forced the other women to make. Becky decided she did not deserve the Yellow Outfit.
She hated the thought of ever wearing that Yellow Thing again. She hated the idea of ever wearing anything yellow. She hoped she would not have to wear that dress again next Easter. She hoped Easter would never come again. She wished she would never have to hunt Easter Eggs in the hot sun again. She also started hating the thought of getting her picture taken, because people were so mean and mad that you did not know how to be beautiful or cute like her little brother. She was jealous of him because everyone loved him, and he knew how to be pretty and special. Even she had to admit to herself that he was adorable in that picture! Which only added to her jealousy. She could not hate David; however, she could hate yellow.
More Pictures
Becky and David grew quickly, and by next Easter, they had outgrown their Easter Outfits. Their mother had given birth to another little girl, Marilyn Elizabeth, in December, close to the Christmas holiday. Once she had confirmed that David and Becky had outgrown the outfits, their mother had carefully packed away their entire Easter Outfits in the large cedar chest. She knew there would be a day when Becky’s baby sister would be old enough to wear the treasured outfit. Their mother was glad she had gotten Becky and David’s pictures taken at the Woolworth Five-and-Dime store in Canton. It had been an ordeal for the mother because Becky had pitched a fit, not wanting to wear the Yellow Outfit again or get her picture taken. The little girl kept saying it was ugly and demanded that it be taken off. Only threats of a spanking got the poor mother through the ordeal. Pictures of both children were taken, framed, and displayed on the family’s bookshelf for years. A keepsake for the parents and a silent haunting reminder for Becky that she was not special or beautiful.
Healing
Holy Father of Love and Lord Jesus, sanctify us in the name of Christ Jesus. Adults cannot read their children’s minds. A child does not know how to communicate their feeling or thoughts to parents or God unless they are taught to do so. I grew up under my own self-condemnation based on what I accepted as the truth. What I believed as a child about myself and others still affects how I live and respond to others today. It has even affected how I react to You. Help parents teach their children that they can be completely honest with You, Jesus. Teach children, through loving and patient parents (caregivers), that You will be their loving counselor, friend, and savior, always guiding them to grow in wisdom. Jesus, your Heavenly Father taught You as a young child to grow in wisdom and truth. Please help the children of this world to come to You and God the Father for the loving guidance You always had as a child growing up. Please help us, caregivers, parents, and grandparents, also come to You seeking truth, wisdom, and love so that we will be better equipped to raise our families in love. Please answer our prayers in a way that will bring You glory and pleasure. I know You love to see us being more like Jesus and doing what He would do. This is what we hope for too. Amen.
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