Flumper, Bunnies, & Easter
One of my nieces has a stuffed bunny whom she named “Flumper.” At the time, she and her sisters had been watching Disney’s Bambi. So, her sisters corrected her, saying, “You mean Thumper!” Her response was, “No! Flumper!” And thus the name has remained. Flumper is one of her favorite stuffies. For her birthday recently, I decided to paint a T-shirt featuring that much-loved bunny. And since I haven’t featured a T-shirt painting on the blog in a while (see Holiday Heritage from 2014), I thought it was about time!
When painting on a shirt, place cardboard inside to stiffen it. Then fold any excess around the back and hold the cloth in place with painter’s tape. Typically, I’ll sketch the design in pencil. However, the black shirt made it hard to see any pencil lines. This time, I “drew” the form with white paint, blocking in the entire figure…kind of like priming the surface. A couple coats of white followed by a couple coats of aqua gave me the base. Finally, I finished with highlights, shadows and details. Minor touch-ups around the edges of the character could be done with black paint.
Of course, here I am posting a painting of a bunny on Easter weekend, when bunnies and eggs are my least favorite part of Easter! I did look into the history behind the bunnies and eggs theme when prepping for this blog. Apparently, the Easter Bunny himself came from German immigrants in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Sounding similar to Santa’s naughty list, the thought was that the Easter Bunny would travel from house to house, leaving eggs in a nest for “good little boys and girls.” Kids would put carrots out (like Santa’s milk and cookies) to feed the bunny since it traveled many miles to many children. Decorating Easter Eggs harkens back to a time when eggs were a forbidden food during Lenten season…dating possibly back to the 1200s. People would decorate the eggs to mark the end of their season of fasting. Then, on Easter morning, eating the eggs was part of the celebration! Cool! I like that one a little better.
I went into one of the box stores last week, hoping to pick up a few Easter-related treats to send to my youngest nieces. I thought SURELY there would be something other than bunnies, eggs, and chicks to find there. Sadly, 97% of their items had nothing to do with the real meaning of Easter. However, I did find 1 little shelf with 2 children’s Bible options and The Berenstain Bears and the Easter Story. Shout out to Stan, Jan and Mike Berenstain for building such a popular family of bears that even the box stores will feature their book with a Christian message! The book wasn’t fluff either. It talked about Pontius Pilate, Christ going to the cross, and the celebration of resurrection on Sunday. I was happy to see that the 1 little shelf of books was almost sold out.
So, why Easter? What’s the big deal about it anyway? Well, since this post is inspired by a kid’s T-shirt, I’ll try to stick to simple and childlike faith for you. Why do I love it!?
- Because death has never felt “right” whether we lose someone who is 5 or 105. And the empty tomb is a symbol of Jesus defeating death on my behalf!! (Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O grave, is your sting? ~ 1 Corinthians 15:55 & Hosea 13:14)
- Because love is not love unless it’s willing to walk through the valleys with us. And the ultimate love is willing to die for us, thus driving out fear. (Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ~ John 15:13; There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. ~ 1 John 4:18)
- Because I can let go of anxiousness since Christ faced a doozy of a panic attack and now sits beside his Father, advocating for me. (And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground. ~ Luke 22:41-44; For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. ~ Hebrews 4:16)
- Because I am a broken person in a broken world but He makes me new! (Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ~ 2 Corinthians 5:17)
- Because my heart, soul, mind and strength need a Savior, and He understood that. (The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. ~ John 10:10; Let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ~ Hebrews 12:1-2)
Easter is Hope! Easter is Life! Easter is a breath of new air in our lungs. Enjoy the bunnies, chicks, and eggs. But if you let it stop there, you’ve missed out on SO much more.
Happy Easter, friends!
molliebozarth 