The Magical Properties of Easter Eggs

Did you know that eggs are the perfect food? That's what many dietary experts have been saying for quite awhile now, and with good reasons. They are compact, nutritious and can be prepared in a variety of yummy ways.

I remember a time when medical folks and nutritionists advised us all to avoid eggs, due to their high cholesterol content. They had us especially fearful of the traditional bacon and egg breakfast. Eating those two bad boys at the same time would certainly cause an immediate heart attack! (Thankfully, that's been proven to be untrue.)

My own life experience has shown me that eggs have incredible qualities that are even better than their high protein content and meal versatility. They can be transformed into Easter eggs!!

Last week, I was unexpectedly reminded that Easter eggs are downright magical!

I found some boiled eggs in the fridge that I'd forgotten about. They'd been in there for about four days. I didn't want to waste them, but I worried about Salmonella and other yucky risks.

Then some random childhood Easter memories popped into my head.

My two siblings and I would take our sweet time, dying and decorating eggs, usually on Easter Eve. It was a favorite family time of the year- joyfully creating together and excitedly anticipating the next 24 hours.

I think those eggs must've sat out at room temperature for well over an hour while being dressed up fancy for the holiday.

They were out in the warm air again while the Easter bunny hid them, right? And who knows how long that took?

After our delightful searching and finding, we'd bring those miniature masterpieces in, put them back in the fridge- just to take them out again later to hide for each other. What fun it was to play Easter Bunny!

It took quite awhile for three kids to each have a turn as the hider and then the finder of all those eggs.

Yep, those babies were left out in the hot Spring air, handled and re-handled by grubby little hands. They were in the grass, in the dirt, in the tree. Bugs crawled on them, the dog licked them, and the cat laid on some of them.

On Easter night or the next morning, Mom claimed those eggs for her own use. Egg salad sandwiches and deviled eggs were on the menu for days! We ate them and somehow lived to tell about it.

There ya go: scientific, medical proof that Easter eggs are completely immune to Salmonella, E-Coli, and many other bacteria!

Not only that, but those small, oblong food sources provided hours of entertainment, imagination and family togetherness. 

They had the power to pull us away from the TV and halt the sibling bickering for awhile. We were reminded of the roots of our faith while just having fun.

I no longer believe in the Easter Bunny, but I really do believe that Easter eggs have extraordinary qualities. My children believe it too; they are passing the traditions on to their little ones.

I'll cherish these fleeting years while my granddaughters are young enough to believe and experience the creative, wide-eyed wonder of the season.

Yes, Easter eggs are magical and no one will ever convince me otherwise.












Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing that very nice little memory. I don't recall my family ever having dyed boiled eggs. My mom preferred to buy the plastic eggs and fill them with candy and money and little trinket toys. I recall my siblings and I trading the candy with each other so that each one ended up with their preferred candies. After we had found all of the eggs, my siblings and I hid the empty ones over and over for days and hunted them all again. My mom made sure that Easter was truly memorable. She would also have an Easter basket for all of us and she would line the halls from our rooms to the baskets with the tiny chocolate eggs that are wrapped in foil. Fun times!

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    1. Thanks very much @MM! I'm so glad you have special Easter memories too. You mother went to a lot of trouble to make it fun for you and your siblings.

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  2. Great story Diana! That's interesting since our big family had Easter egg hunts every year! My Dad would boil dozens of eggs on the Saturday before Easter Sunday and we all would spin the hot eggs in the vinegary colors and use those wax crayons to write our names! Then on Saturday night he would write $$ amounts on the eggs he would hide all over the house. usually 5 cents to a mega one at 50 cents- that one most years was hid in the bird cage- after church we would hunt for the eggs and cash them in for the money printed on each! After all was done I never thought about how long those boiled eggs were sitting out at room temp. Those eggs sat in a big bowl in the kitchen for days after Easter and we would always grab one or two to peel and eat whenever we felt like one for days after Easter? I don't think anyone ever got sick from it? Randy

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