The Empty Egg
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
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.
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