I am on the board of our local HOA association. One of the many things we do is bring community together in this case annually at our Easter Egg Hunt. Helping out there on Saturday is a joy to behold, a microcosm of life and its joys and grief for both the children and parents.

The night before, a voice inside
Whispers soft while eyes still wide
Tomorrow’s the day of the Easter Egg hunt
Need to be early and ready in front

A sea of faces itching to start
Ready to run and pounce and dart
Golden eggs are the ultimate prize
Every child’s dream to realize

Boys and girls both short and tall
Soon it will be a free for all
The grown-ups watch, the tape is tight
A sea of kids all braced for flight.

The bell goes off the hunt is on
Bright plastic eggs are swooped upon,
Before you know it the hunt is done
The eggs are captured the race is run.

Some baskets are bursting some are light,
Some kids beam with pure delight.
While others wipe their tears and pout
For them things didn’t quite turn out

Life’s little games – both joy and sting,
The tastes of losing and winning.
But every heart, both brave and small,
Learns how to rise above it all.

So next year when the hunt’s begun,
They’ll stretch their legs and run for fun.
It’s not just eggs they’ll seek to find
But courage, grace and being kind.