By Pat O’Connor
(Part of a work in progress titled “You Can’t Make This Stuff Up; The Charmed Life of a Boomer.” We periodically publish these special features around holidays and seasonal events.)
Easter has always been one of my very favorite holidays… along with Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day. I was doing some last-minute shopping on Good Friday some years ago and looking forward to all the food, fun and festivities.
Our son Patrick (about 6) was along when he came up to me and said, “Look what I found on the floor.” It was a $50 bill. “Whoa!” says I, “Where did you get that?” “Right over there… it was on the floor.” A $50 bill in the little guy’s hand. Before I could even respond he asked, “Can I keep it?” his blue eyes getting bigger as his voice raised. “Well, let’s think about this for a minute. There’s a good chance whoever dropped it will probably come back looking for it… don’t you think?” “I guess,” he said, somewhat reluctantly.
I told him I thought the best thing to do would be to turn it in to the store in the event someone returned. We did so and the manager informed him that he would hold the money. If no one claimed it within a week, Patrick could have it. I told him he probably would at least be in for a reward if the people claimed their money. Either way, he was going to benefit. Off we went to start our holiday weekend and share the story with Sue.
The holiday came and went with all the usual fanfare, and we got into our weekly groove and sort of forgot about the event. Then, near the end of the waiting period, we received a card in the mail from the woman who had lost her $50 at the store. She wrote a very nice note thanking Patrick, which read:
Dear Patrick:
Thank you for returning the $50.00 you found. We’d almost given up believing there were still some honest people in this world. This was part of the money from my husband’s first paycheck since last November. Thank you for making our Easter such a happy one.
She, her husband, and each of their six children signed the card. She also included a $5 reward for Patrick, which he spent on art supplies. It was quite a special Easter gift for all of us.
Epilogue
It’s been 40 years since that event. I think of it each spring and Easter, and the same warm feeling always returns. I reflect on a family of eight on a holiday and how lean times must have been for them. I imagine most of us have had some lean times. I bet someone in that family has been recalling this story each Easter since it happened. Hopefully, the same warm feeling returns to them, too.
Patrick has become a successful artist. His $5 reward was quite an investment!
Now, That’s Irish!
Six first-generation Irish-American siblings gathered for Easter dinner at the parish rectory of the eldest of the sibs. It was our tradition to enjoy ham for the main course each Easter. The host said he would provide a ham and told the other brothers and sisters to bring a dish to share. No further instructions were given as far as what to bring, for example vegetables, salads, dessert, etc. … just bring a dish to share.
We gathered and were stunned to see that we had all brought a side dish of potatoes. All five of us! And the potato dishes were all different … all of them…mashed, au gratin, baked, etc. … None of us had communicated with each other about what we were going to bring. It was just a complete total random, one-time event. Maybe an Irish/potato DNA experience?
Everyone enjoyed an outstanding dinner of ham and five different kinds of potatoes for Easter dinner that year. Now, that’s Irish!
