The Easter Dress

by Donna Poole

Kristy knelt by her bed. “Dear God, I’m happy Easter is tomorrow! Thank you that Jesus died for us and rose again. And please, I really, really wish I could have a new dress for Easter!”

She hopped into bed, and Mom pulled up the covers. “Honey, we’ve talked about this. We would have gotten you a new dress if we could have. But you know Easter is about celebrating the resurrection, and we can do that without new clothes.”

Kristy nodded. “But the other girls at church will have new dresses to celebrate in. Maybe God will surprise me with one! It would be a perfect Easter if I could have one.”

Her mom sighed. “Kristy, God isn’t some kind of Santa Clause who gives us everything we want.”

“I know that. And it’s okay if God doesn’t give me a dress. I wish you could sew like Emily and Lydia’s moms.”

“I wish I could sew too, honey. I’d love to make you a new dress.”

Kristy sat up and threw both arms around her mom’s neck. “Don’t look sad. It’s okay you can’t sew. You do lots of things. You make me paper dolls and tell good stories. And you’re the best cook in the whole church!”

Her mom laughed. “I don’t know about that, but speaking of cooking, I better get busy making food for the Easter breakfast tomorrow.”

“Are you making the bunny bread?”

“Yes.”

“I hope Mr. Grumbple won’t get mad about it again.”

“I didn’t know you knew about that!”

“Last year I heard him tell Dad he didn’t think Easter Bunny bread belonged at a church breakfast.”

“What did your dad tell him?”

“Dad said if it would make him feel better, we’d call it the spring rabbit. But Mr. Grumbple didn’t eat any of the bread. I hope you won’t have to stop making it. All us kids love it.”

Mom laughed and kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry about it. I’m going to the kitchen to make the spring rabbit. You go to sleep now.”

Kristy smiled and snuggled under the covers.

Maybe Mr. Grumbple will eat the bunny bread this year. And maybe I’ll find a new dress in my Easter basket in the morning. And maybe it will be a perfect Easter.

Easter morning was pandemonium. Kristy’s mom was busy in the kitchen frosting cinnamon rolls, covering wonderful smelling casseroles, and putting the bunny bread on a platter. Dad was in the study looking over his sermon.  Kristy and her four brothers were racing through the house looking for the Easter baskets their parents had hidden. Hiding the baskets was tradition.

Kristy tried not to be too disappointed when she found her basket. It had a hollow chocolate rabbit, her favorite kind of jellybeans, and a pair of white socks with ruffles on the top. No dress.

But the socks will look pretty with my Mary Jane shoes.

Kristy looked in her closet for her nicest dress, the one she’d worn last Easter.

Kristy sat with the other six and seven-year-old girls at the Easter breakfast. She smiled to see how many girls had her mom’s bunny bread on their plates.

“Your mom is the best cook ever!” Emily said.

“And your mom and Lydia’s mom sew the prettiest dresses ever!”

The table full of girls began admiring one another’s new dresses, most of them flowery prints. No one mentioned that Kristy’s dress was a little snug and short.

“Is this seat saved for anyone?”

Kristy looked up and saw a girl about her age wearing a stained white T-shirt, jeans, and dirty sneakers with holes in them. Her blonde hair was in a messy braid, and her face looked like it had traces of tears.

Kristy smiled at her. “You can sit here. Have you been here before? I don’t think I’ve seen you.”

The other girl shook her head. “This is my first time. My stepdad dropped me off. He said I should stay here so he and Mom could have a couple hours without having to bother with me. I hope they remember to pick me up when they leave the bar.” She brushed away a tear.

Kristy touched her hand. “My mom and dad will be sure you get home if they forget. I’m Kristy. What’s your name?”

“Addy.”

“Addy, do you want some food? My mom’s bunny bread is really good!”

“I don’t have any money.” Addy spoke so softly it was almost a whisper.

“You don’t need money! It’s free!”

“I dunno. I feel funny here. You all have pretty dresses. I’ve never had a dress.”

“It’s okay. No one cares what you wear,” Kristy said.

Emily said, “Let’s all go with Addy. She can get food, and we can get some more food!”

On the way to the food table, the girls almost bumped into Julie, their favorite Sunday school teacher, who was coming out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of steaming breakfast potatoes.

“Oops, careful! You don’t want to wear these potatoes!” Julie laughed. “Kristy, I have a present for you. I saw where you’re sitting. I’ll leave it on your chair.”

“Thank you! What is it?”

“Oh, just a little something I felt like God wanted me to make.”

“I bet she made you a new dress!” Lydia whispered. “She sews even better than my mom!”

It seemed to take forever to get through the food line. Addie kept saying she’d never seen so much food, and it took her a long time to decide what to put on her plate.

Back at the table, Kristy set down her plate and picked up a lavender gift bag. She pulled out pink tissue paper and caught her breath.

Emily asked, “What is it? Take it out. We want to see!”

Kristy pulled out a cream-colored dress with a tiny pink rosebud print. It had short, ruffled sleeves and a ruffle on the bottom.

“That’s the prettiest dress I ever saw!” Lydia said. “Are you going to go into the bathroom and put it on?”

“I will after we eat,” Kristy said putting the dress back into the bag. “I don’t want to get any food on it.”

Her dad went to the microphone. “Please keep eating,” he said. “I’m going to talk about the resurrection during the morning sermon, but I wanted to say a few words about the cross while we’re together here. I’ve been thinking all week about how Jesus lived and died. No one ever lived a more beautiful life than Jesus. No one ever loved or gave like Jesus. He gave everything he had to give during his thirty-three years on earth. And then, at the end, he gave his life on the cross. Why? I think most of you know the answer. He loved us enough to die for our sins and to make a way for us to go to heaven. And now he wants us to love and give to others through us. We can be his hands and feet.”  

“Is that really true what that man said? Addy asked.

Kristy nodded. “He’s my dad. And it’s true.”

“Well, I never heard anything about God loving me. Or people loving me either. And I don’t know if I believe it.”

Seven-year-olds aren’t always good at putting things into words, but that’s okay. Actions are better. Kristy handed the gift bag to Addy.  “I want to give you this.”

Addy shook her head. “That lady said it was your present.”

“It was my present, but now it’s yours.”

“Take it, Addy,” Emily said. “I think it will fit you.”

“You’ll look beautiful in it!” Lydia said.

“The bathroom is right over there,” Kristy said. “Go try it on and see if you like it.”

Addy was gone for a while. When she returned the girls could tell she’d washed her face. She’d unbraided her hair. She looked beautiful even with the dirty tennis shoes poking out from the long dress. She smiled shyly at the girls. And then Addy got what was perhaps her first group hug and lots of compliments.

Kristy saw Julie looking their way and smiling. Julie gave her a thumbs up.

That night Kristy finished her prayers and hopped into bed. Mom pulled up the covers and kissed her on the cheek.

Kristy yawned. “Mom, God gave me a new Easter dress, but I gave it away. It made me feel happy.”

“Julie told me about that. I’m proud of you. And guess what? Mr. Grumbple ate my bunny bread.”

Kristy laughed. “I guess it was a perfect Easter, wasn’t it?”

The End
***

These blogs are now available in book form on Amazon:

Backroad Ramblings Volume One: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

Backroad Ramblings Volume Two: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

Backroad Ramblings Volume Three: Stories of Faith, Love, and Laughter

I have six other books on Amazon as well, four fiction books in the “Life at the Corners” series, and two children’s Christmas picture books.

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