Bunny Love Legacy
The other day I came across an old black-and-white photo of me taken when I was 20 months old. (I know my age because my mom labeled the picture – as she always labeled everything important in our family.) There I was in my starched Easter dress, with two braids and bows, and the biggest smile you can imagine. I stood between one of those old floor-model Philco radios and a living room chair. Beside me on the chair --stiff and stuffed –stood an Easter bunny that must have been 3 feet tall!
I had that bunny for years beyond my toddler stage and remember how I loved it all the way until its eyes got lost and the stuffing came out. The bunny was a gift from my Grandpa Sam – who had come all the way from Cincinnati to Tallahassee to visit. My mother told me the story. But it wasn’t until the day I looked at that photo that I considered the power of a legacy’s love.
You see, when I saw the photo, it occurred to me how much it took for Grandpa Sam to get a 3-foot tall rabbit from Ohio to Florida. Grandpa, himself – a 5 foot 2, cigar-smoking postman -- had to have carried it on the train. Now understand, it was the early 1950s and he was a Black man. That means, he probably traveled 17 hours on a segregated train, sitting in the cramped “colored section” holding on his lap the “prize” that was more than half his own size …. All so he could see me smile. What love!
I can’t say for sure that’s exactly how it happened … but I do know that what he demonstrated was a self-lessness that went beyond ordinary… a caring that went beyond usual. He made sure I knew I was loved.
Even if that bunny is no longer around, the spirit of the gift remains.I want to be sure to pass it on. It’s a legacy I want my grandchildren to have.