featured image

Lilia Grundy hopes this sweet Easter tradition will reinforce the message of new life for young children.


A Time to Plant

There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. A time to give birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

 

Daddy pours out a handful of the speckled-bird-egg jelly beans into our daughter’s hands. She lets out a giggle and excitingly glances over at her sister, who is next to receive a handful of her own beans.

“Ok,” Daddy exclaims, "now push them into the soil one by one. Give them enough space to grow.”

Planting the “magic beans,” as we call them, became an annual tradition when the twins were three years old. As someone who absolutely loves holidays, themes, and most certainly Easter, I wanted to incorporate something that the girls could remember for the rest of their lives in conjunction with this important celebration of our faith.

Additionally, this tradition would serve to combat attention on the Easter Bunny: surely there was room for Mr. Bunny and the egg hunts, but the planting of the beans, could help keep our family focused on the true meaning of Easter.

My husband, Rob, happens to be a green thumb—a skill I have never mastered. However, planting candy into the ground and knowing they would grow into beautiful flowers the next day was something I could easily do!

I suggested to Rob that we buy some jellybeans and tell the girls that if we prayed and sang to them—they would in fact grow, just in time for Easter.

 

children and father planting

 

Magic Beans Grow

I had to commemorate the occasion with a song—to seal the deal, if you will. So on a whim, I came up with a tune. Disney fans would recognize the melody from the movie Tangled, where Rapunzel sings to grow back her beautiful, long hair. Maybe it was because we were watching lots of Tangled that year, or perhaps we had just read the book, but in that moment our song came to life:

Sung to the “Tangled-Healing” melody:

Magic beans grow,
Sent from up above,
Born on Easter day,
Grow for me with love,
With love.

The culmination of our tradition ends with a prayer of gratitude. We speak about the hope we hold for the magic beans to bloom into new life—just like Jesus who will rise on Easter Day.

Click to tweet:
The promise of new, eternal life instills hope. #catholicmom

20220408 LGrundy Magic Easter Beans_2

 

Sweet Easter Day Bloom

I am partial to the Brach’s brand—the “speckled bird egg” jellybean variety because they remind me of little chick eggs. But any jellybeans, candy or even real seeds would do the trick.

Rob usually goes out early before the sun rises to purchase lovely flowers and gets back home in time to insert them into their pots.

I am always eager to see the girls’ faces when they discover that their magic beans have grown into flowers.

New life is spectacular. We recently had the opportunity to witness real eggs hatching and it was miraculous! The promise of new, eternal life instills hope—hope for change. Hope to grow. Hope that one day we can live with our heavenly father.

We are grateful for all the blessings that God allows us to treasure along this earthly journey … blessings like sweet, colorful “magic beans.” May your Easter be just as sweet.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

 


Copyright 2022 Lilia Grundy
Images copyright 2022 Lilia Grundy