This is a long story BUT please take the time and enjoy it.

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still
in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated
with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other
times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the
darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his
teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the
Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really
belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children
who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age
and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he
said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for
Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it
here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow
outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to
sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal
illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other
youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never
learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my
problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please
help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to
ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her
desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear.
The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She stammered, "Wh-why
that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told
them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she
gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this
home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do
you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically-all except for Jeremy.
He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises.
Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he
understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the
project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an
hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for
groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She
completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed
their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they
completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs. In the first egg,
Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she
said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A
small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she
called out. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real.
Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a
beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and
said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine." Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it.
She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the
classroom, "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must
be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions.
If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to
embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. Suddenly,
Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?"
Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty." He looked into her
eyes and said softly, "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb
was empty?" "Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His
Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard, Doris
cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were
surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

If this blesses you, pass it on.


YES, HE IS RISEN!! HALLELUJAH!!
Happy Easter!

Author Unknown