By Brenda Cannon HenleyDouglas was born with a twisted body and slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Mary Goodson, 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, Douglas irritated his teacher. One day, she called his parents to come to St. Ann’s Day School for a consultation. As the Nicholsons sat quietly in the empty classroom, Mrs. Goodson said to them, “Douglas really belongs in a special school. It isn’t fair to him to be with younger children who do not have learning problems. Why, there is a five-year gap between his age and that of the other students.”

Mrs. Nicholson cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. “Mrs. Goodson,” he said, “there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Douglas if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here.”

Mrs. Goodson sat for a long time after they left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Nicholsons. 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 Douglas 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. “Oh God,” she said aloud, “Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family. Please help me to be more patient with Douglas.”

As Easter approached, 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 the instructions?”

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Mrs. Goodson’s desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

The first big plastic egg revealed a flower, certainly a sign of new life in the spring. The second egg revealed a bright plastic butterfly that indicated new life. Next, Mrs. Goodson discovered a rock, but growing on the rock was pretty green moss, and the student that brought it explained that new life is everywhere you look.

Then Mrs. Goodson opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Nothing was inside of the plastic case. Surely it must be the egg Douglas brought, she thought. Not knowing what to say or do, she simply sat the egg aside. Suddenly Douglas spoke up clearly. “Aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” asked the innocent child. “But, Douglas, dear, your egg is empty.”

He looked into her eyes and said softly, “Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too. Or, at least that is what I think you taught us in class.” Time seemed to stop. Mrs. Goodson asked ever so quietly, “Do you understand, Doug, why Christians believe the tomb was empty?”

And Douglas amazed the teacher and his classmates when he said, “Oh, yes, I know why it was empty. I believe that Jesus was put to death on the cross, that He was buried in the borrowed tomb, and that He rose again, just as He said He would do in the Bible.”

This special child had been hearing. He had been learning. He had been storing the information in his heart that no one thought he was getting. Three months later, Mrs. Goodson was saddened when she got a call telling her that Douglas had died peacefully in his sleep and would no longer be coming to her class.

Douglas was lovingly placed in his casket and many friends and neighbors came to visit with his family. The guests were somewhat surprised to see 19 bright, colorful, plastic eggs carefully placed on the top. Mrs. Goodson and Douglas’ classmates all knew why — and they knew those eggs were empty — just like the tomb of Jesus — because Douglas heard and believed what he had been taught.

(Writer’s Note – A dear friend shared this wonderful story with me and I chose to use it in my Easter column for two reasons. One, I have worked with many special needs children over the years and I want parents and teachers not to become disappointed. These boys and girls are learning and retaining more than you and I can ever imagine. We are making a difference when we teach, coach, instruct, befriend, and spend our time with boys and girls who need us most. And, two, because I am a Christian, I believe in the resurrection of Christ. I believe He died on the cross and rose again just as He said He would. I realize we have readers from many faiths and that each of you has your own convictions, but I must write mine. Happy Easter, 2014. BCH)

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