Chapter 1 Sample: The Purple Egg

One of my most cherished family traditions that has been passed down through generations involves the Easter holiday.

In the beginning, there once was a little boy named Bob May. Each Easter his family would dye eggs. Mother would hide them for her three sons (Bob and his two brothers Harold and Don).

Having hard-boiled eggs was treat enough, but these were colored pink, yellow, green, blue, and red. Best of all, there was always one special egg which was worth money: The Purple Egg. We don’t know how much that egg was worth exactly. We guess maybe a dime?

Years later, Bob grew up and had three sons of his own, Al, Greg, and me in the middle. He carried on the tradition and always made sure there was one purple egg which was worth $1.00 to the lucky boy who found it.  

Years after that, I had two daughters, Maggie and Mollie, pictured here with Grandpa Bob. As soon as they were old enough to hunt for eggs, I explained to my wife Mary she needed to dye one egg purple and it was to be worth $1.00. As time passed, the eggs became plastic, and the prize money became larger - as did the family. 

Maggie and Mollie soon had children of their own, and each year an egg hunt on Easter would always feature The Purple Egg as the most coveted of all.

Mary and I hope our grandchildren will honor the tradition in their own families someday so yet a fifth generation of kids can know the wonder and excitement shared by a little boy named Bob so long ago.