Ferris was a special boy.
At the age of 13, he was still in second grade.
His teacher, Miss Johnson, often became
exasperated with him.
He would squirm in his seat and grind his teeth.
Sometimes though, he would surprise everyone
by speaking clearly and coherently.
Most of the time, Ferris irritated his teacher.
One day, Miss Johnson called his parents to school
for a consultation.
She said to them,
"Ferris really belongs in a special school.
Why, there is a 5 year gap between his age
and that of the other students."
Mrs Hampton cried softly into a tissue.
Her husband said,
"There is no school of that kind nearby.
It would be a shock to Ferris if we remove him
out of this school. We know he really likes it here."
After they left, Ferris' teacher sat for a long time, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Hamptons.
After all, their only child had a terminal disease.
Then again, it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 20 other students to teach, and Ferris was a distraction.
Besides, he would never learn to read and write.
She was wasting her time ...
As she pondered over 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 Ferris.
From that day on, she tried hard to ignore
the grunting noises and his blank stares.
One day, Ferris limped to her desk,
dragging his bad leg behind him.
"I love You, Miss Johnson," he exclaimed, loudly.
The other children sneered and his teacher turned red.
She stammered, "W-why that's very nice Ferris.
N-now please take your seat."
Whatever brought that on, she would have to admit,
he touched her heart that day.
Spring came.
The children talked excitedly about Easter.
Miss Johnson told them the story of Jesus.
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 Johnson," the children responded.
All except Ferris.
He seemed to have listened intently,
his eyes never left her face.
He did not 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, Miss Johnson's kitchen sink clogged up.
She called the landlord and waited an hour for him
to come by to unclog it.
After that, she had to get groceries, iron a blouse
and prepare a test for the next day.
She completely forgot about phoning Ferris' parents.
The next morning, 21 children came to school,
talking excitedly as they placed their eggs in the
large wicker basket on Miss Johnson's table.
After they completed their math lesson,
it was time to open the eggs.
In the first egg, Miss Johnson 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."
Little Mary, in the first row, waved her arm.
"That's my egg, Miss Johnson," she called out.
The second egg contained a plastic butterfly
which looked very real. Miss Johnson held it up.
"A caterpillar changes and grows into a
beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life too."
Little Jamie smiled proudly and said,
"Miss Johnson, that one is mine."
Next, Miss Johnson 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, Miss Johnson opened the fourth egg.
She sucked in her breath.
The egg was empty.
Surely it must be Ferris', she thought.
He did not understand her instructions.
If only she had remembered to telephone his parents.
Quietly, she put the egg aside as she did not want
to embarrass him, and reached for another egg.
Suddenly, Ferris spoke up.
"Miss Johnson, aren't you gonna talk about my egg?"
Flustered, Miss Johnson replied,
"But Ferris, your egg is empty."
He was silent for a moment.
Then, he looked into her eyes, and said softly,
"Jesus' tomb was empty too."
Time stopped.
When she could speak again,
Miss Johnson asked him,
"Do you know why the tomb was empty?"
"Oh yes," Ferris said.
"Jesus was killed and put in there.
Then His Father raised him up and
now he lives with God in Heaven."
The recess bell rang.
While the children ran out excitedly,
Miss Johnson cried.
The cold inside her melted away completely.
She will never be the same.
Three months later, Ferris died.
Those who attended his funeral were surprised
to see 21 eggs on top of his white casket,
all of them opened and empty. :D
Thank you Jesus, for saving me.
a silent thot
by lynn phua
