“Kids say the  
darndest things.”
Art Linkletter

When my mother moved into the Villa Siena Retirement Community in 2012, it came as a bit of a surprise to my siblings and me to hear that Mom had met a “friend.” John was a few years older than Mom and had moved into the retirement facility when it appeared that his life was nearing its end. At the time, he relied on a wheelchair to get around.

In the weeks and months after meeting Mom, John’s condition improved considerably. He ditched the wheelchair in favor of a cane. Not long after, he stopped using the cane, finding that he could get around quite well without it. Most surprising of all, he began dancing with Mom at some of the Villa Siena socials. It was quite a miraculous turnaround.

One night, John joined us for a family dinner at the House of Prime Rib in The City. While sitting in the bar waiting for our table, John told a joke which seems timely to share today. 

When the pastor visited the second grade classroom to congratulate the students on their upcoming First Communion, the students and teacher were excited. The next day they would begin their Easter break. During his visit, the pastor asked the students one question: “What is the Resurrection?” The teacher smiled confidently, as they had just discussed the Resurrection of Jesus the day before. Surprisingly, not one student raised a hand to answer the question. They sat in their desks looking at the pastor with blank faces.

Their teacher spoke up. “C’mon you guys! We just talked about this yesterday,” she implored, encouraging someone to respond to the pastor’s question.

After another bit of awkward silence, the pastor called on one young man. “Liam O’Malley, surely you can tell us what the Resurrection is.”

Liam, feeling put on the spot, stood up to respond to the pastor’s question. “Uh,… I don’t remember exactly what it is, but I know that if it lasts more than six hours, you’re supposed to contact your doctor.”

Happy Easter!