Today’s post is from the archives. In honor of the holiday weekend, here is a piece I wrote right after Easter last year.

***

I watched you search.

In turns, you tried different tactics.

You stood in one place, glancing in all directions, unable to decide where to go.

You ran frantically without pausing to watch where you were going.

You set your sights on an object and walked purposefully.

You walked tentatively, knowing where you wanted to go even though you weren’t sure it was the right direction.

I watched you find.

Most of the time you cheered, holding up your prize to show it off.

Sometimes you were reckless, taking quickly without examining your spoils.

Once, your face showed disappointment. What you found was not what you hoped for.

At times you were surprised by the outcome, but still pleased.

My heart soared.

I watched you search and felt joy.

Later, my stomach lurched.

This time, the stakes were low. The prize was eggs.

Some filled with your favorite candy; some filled with licorice jelly beans.

A couple had money in them, but even the cash-poor eggs were rich.

One day, the stakes… Well, they’ll be so much more.

The prize will be a place on the team. Or not.

The prize will be a first-choice college admission. Or not.

The prize will be a dream job. Or not.

The prize will be the girl you thought was The One. Or not.

I know you have to search in order to find the prizes.

To find yourself.

To find your place.

To find your peace.

To find your salvation.

That’s what yesterday was about, after all. Salvation. You are still accepting, unblemished. You still understand with a pureness of heart, an absence of ulterior motive.

I ache for what’s ahead.

Maybe you’ll never face a crisis, one in which all you ever believed is shattered. Maybe you’ll never look at the search before you, and feel completely alone.

But I know better.

So I ache, because you are human. It is your nature to question. It is the world’s nature to disappoint and confuse.

And then I rejoice.

I rejoice, because I have faith. I have faith that at the end of your search, you will find your prize.

It’s been here all along, after all.

H, on the hunt. (Easter 2011)

Success! (Easter 2011)

I wonder…

:: In the age of extreme helicopter parenting, what are you doing to ensure that your kids figure out life for themselves? (And how hard is it to stand back and watch them fall sometimes?)