Our darling friend Gabe , made a beautiful film about the "Honor Flights" of Michigan.
This is a privately supported program that runs in several states, that flies World War II veterans to see their monument in Washington, along with tours to Arlington and whatever they can fit in the span of a day.
I found out about the Honor Flight program through my darling father in law, who passed away a year ago in January.
Mr Sipes took this flight to Washington with his fellow service men and women, when he was 84.
My father in law was seventeen when he entered the service.
In his 86 years he had traveled the world, not just in service but he was a world traveler by nature and had experienced many adventures in his life.
The experience on Honor flight was one of his fondest.
As I sat in the theater this past Memorial Day watching this film, I went right back to Delavan's tearful recollection of the trip and how it was one of the greatest he had had in his life.
I cried for two hours. Terry had to work and couldn't attend the screening. I bought the DVD for him and he can't get through the first 15 minutes, without tears.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Stop Your Sobbing
Let my next part of the holiday weekend commence with a lovely family reunion party with the Sipes Family.
Terry, Mimi and I were invited to barbecue with the Lovely Betty Sipes and her brood of wonderful kids and their spouses and significant others.
There was food and swimming, guitar lessons and yoga. There was also fishing.
Uncle John, with the patience of a saint took dear Miss Mary down to the dock of the lake and taught her to catch blue gill.
She did quite well, although she did have expert training. Uncle John got her to use bait(worms no less) and if he had a bit more time with her she actually would have held the fish.
Next time.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Blackbird
discovering how a glacier is made
Ms Simon's first grade class getting instructions on the days activities
Ms. Simon with the class at the Nature Nurture class/ CranbrookThis week has been an emotional one to say the least. In my last post I wrote about Cranbrook and our field trip and the very next afternoon ,I found out that Mimi's first grade teacher had passed away suddenly.
My first thought was of Mimi and how she was going to react to the news. I decided to hold off for a day and figure out how I was going to explain this.
I was trying to process it. Ms Simon and I had a very sad and strange conversation in the car on the way home from Cranbrook.
We talked about the busy end of the school year and how taxed the children were with all of the testing. She talked about how much the educational system had changed since she had started and she didn't feel it was for the better.
My dear friend Beth came over to visit me that evening and I told her about the conversation and how sad and tired Ms. Simon seemed.
The next day we got the call that she had died.
Terry and I sat down with Mimi and simply explained that Ms Simon passed away, not knowing what her response would be.
Mimi kept asking over and over, "for real? for real?". There were no tears, just an exit from the room.
She went to be alone and and put it all together on her own terms. After all, Ms Simon was just in our car coming home from the field trip two days before.
The next morning Mimi rose early and set about to make a card to say goodbye to her teacher. She was in her room with the door shut and when she emerged she had a card that expressed how she was feeling inside. The card read"I am sorry that this had to happen to you Ms. Simon",
The inside of the card was filled with all of the different things that Ms Simon had taught her over the year.
Terry and I quietly cried a bit.
I reminded Mimi of Ms Simon's passion for birds(her memorial fund is to the Audubon Society). Mimi and I talked about little Tiffany blue egg shell she had found outside of the nest outside of our living room window and that Ms Simon would have loved to have seen our new baby robins that were born the very day after Ms Simon passed away.
At school conferences during the year, Ms Simon would often say how she loved teaching that age group because they came in little chicks and left with their wings to be real students.
She was the teacher in our school that produced strong readers and Ms Simon would often talk to me of the leaps and bounds Mimi made in her reading skills in a very short time.
Ms Simon was a veteran teacher, so she wasn't the warmest fuzziest teacher in the world , but very organized and able to handle a rambunctious group of twenty, six year old children.She really imparted on them the gift of realizing their own independence and self reliance.
I remember on more that one occasion getting a little bit of a scolding for coming into school to help Mimi with her winter gear and get her into the classroom in a timely fashion. "She has to do it herself" Ms Simon would say with a stern look that made me hang my head low.
The day before we were to return to school, our principal had sent out a mass email, regarding the kids first day back without their teacher.The request was that the children be dropped off as usual, keeping their routine.
After all, that is what Ms Simon would have wanted.
I pulled up this morning and got out of the car to take Mimi's hand to walk up to the building. I saw a crowd of parents in line with their kids, trying to figure out how to help them. I asked Mimi if she wanted me to walk her into class.
Mimi quietly said "No","I do this myself", and off she went. Wings intact.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Human Nature
This photo was taken by dear Salam. The image captures the vibe of our household.I am now typing on my newly graduated daughters mac and my crusty computer is unplugged due to flooding.
Today was a Burton Elementary first grade class field trip to the wonderful Cranbrook museum .
The grounds of the Cranbrook campus are incomparable. The Saarinen designs throughout the grounds and museum make me break out in a rash.
We wandered through the museum as a class and then went to learn about a very important lesson in the first grade spectrum,"Nature and Nurture"
The lovely woman conducting the class had all of the energy and stage presence of the lead in "Mary Poppins".
This lady was so good at what she did.
The lesson was about nature and how DNA is passed from one set of parents and extended family to another.
She asked all of the children that had a chaperon present to go to their parents. Mimi and I were about eight kids into the line.
The teacher then proceeded to talk about the similarities between each parent and their child standing with them.She extolled the miracles of nature and how the maps we carry inside of us from our parents and their parents determine who we will become .
She got to Mimi and I and asked if she was my biological child? I answered no, knowing Mimi hates being singled out in anyway.I slowly began to explain that she was adopted and we had been a family for six years.
The teacher had to switch up her game pretty quickly, and change to the nurture part of the equation.
I immediately flashed to moments when Mimi talks about that she has Terry's ears and maybe JieJie's nose.
Mimi knows her story, how she came into this world, about our lack of information on her biological parents. But there is this other side of her reality where she is connected with us physically and looks for our outward similarities.
Right or wrong, I felt a profound loneliness for her. I was wondering what was happening inside of that little person.
I have always worked so hard at making her feel as if she didn't just appear on the earth, that she is deeply connected.
My only reaction at the time was squeezing her as hard as I could.
Let's just say, it was a typical Mary, crabby ,dramatic, Norma Desmond afternoon,followed by a night of terrors and crying.
I think maybe the Nature Nurture program at Cranbrook might need some tweaking.
End of song.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Baby mine
In honor of our sixth anniversary of our referral of Miss MaryI am reposting my original posts made at that amazing time.
MONDAY, MAY 30, 2005
The Adventures of Terry Sipes(BaBa)
The whole story of MiMi coming to us is an interesting one.
I went to visit my newly married sister Mary, down at a beach house in Casey key that she has been renting for years. Sometime in March, being homesick(she now lives in Jacksonville), she invited my mother and father, my baby sister Teresa, and myself.
It wasn't until I joined several Chinese adoption online support groups that I realized that our referral would come literally hours after I had left town.
The agency is always cautious in letting us know the timing of things because the Chinese government can be unpredictable.
I was told possibly the end of May or most likely June.
The other waiting parents on the internet were spreading rumours that the referrals would arrive on the May 23 and the cut off date for Dossier log in dates was 11/19/2004...this was the exact date our paperwork was logged in in China.
I was nervous about leaving and I emailed the agency all of my and Terry's contact numbers.
I thought that the trip would distract me from the wait(we had been waiting for Mimi for over a year).
I was on the beach in one of my favorite places in the world and my phone rang. I ran to the phone and I heard my darling Terry. He was crying he said "You are a mom" . I ,of course immediately, became hysterical. I had been preparing for this moment for what seemed to be most of my life and here it was.
I had put a sheet of paper by each phone with all of the questions to ask the agency when they had called. Terry was to overwhelmed(understandably), He found out her age(13 months), her birthdate(April 13 2004), and her name Nan Yu Bao, Nan is her surname and it will match every child brought to the orphanage in that year.Yu Bao we would later find out means, Precious Baby in the Rain.
The agency sends us the referral, which includes photos and her medical evaluation. It also contains an acceptance form that must we choose to accept her or not and then sign. This must be returned in 48 hours.
As I am gasping for breath and asking Terry questions, my sister is yelling in the background"Fly down Fly Down"
We had a voucher left over from another trip so Terry called the agency and had them reroute our baby to Casey key. He called work and made some lame excuse and was on a plane by 6 am the next morning.
I picked him up at the Tampa airport.
The beach house that my sister rents is right on the Gulf and when you are on the porch you can't hear when someone is at the door(no doorbell).
I made my mother sit by the door so we wouldn't miss the Fed Ex person.
We arrived home at 11:30 and the envelope was there waiting for us, our baby.
My mother urged us to go into a seperate bedroom for privacy but I just began opening the envelope ,searching for her .
I had been dreaming of her. I saw her little serious face and I thought that she really didn't look like any of the names we had on our list to name her.They suddenly seemed to cutesy for this baby.They lacked history and dignity somehow.
We scoured the medical report to try and figure out what was what. It was all in Chinese and I speak a little Mandarin but I don't read the characters.
Our agency called and told us that the translation had been emailed to me.
Terry and I jumped in the car and headed to the local library to find out more about our daughter. First, we signed the acceptance and overnighted it to the agency(we didn't have it notarized and that is another tale.)
We reached the library and got to a computer terminal. The computer took forever to sign on.
I printed out the report and Terry went to the front desk to pick it up. He was walking toward me and we both said in unison"Precious Baby in the Rain".
I began to weep, one ,because this really implicates that when they found her she had been left in a place not sheltered form the rain. They commented in her file that she was wet when she came to the orphanage.
In addition to that, I call Terry my precious baby, I call my daughter precious baby. When I was growing up, I called my little sisters precious baby.
I was dissecting the report to see what they had to say about her. She is healthy, she laughs out loud, she loves to listen to adults talk, she likes music, and to play with rattle and small balls.
They went through her first year month by month. She seemed to be on target. She began to walk with help at 9 months.
She eats a lot(you can tell by the picture)
She eats pork bone soup,minced pork soup, egg soup,congee(rice cereal) fruit and vegetable juice.
In Terry's estimation, she is a genius.
I cried all of the way home. We got back to the house and started to face the next big question.Her name.
Terry refused to consider her name until he saw her. We had a list and I would press the issue because, I really wanted to name her, it made everything more real.
He then wanted to know, first, what her Chinese name meant. He tried to go online, when he first got her Chinese name and he figured it meant Jade, and knowlege.
That is Mandarin for you, it means Precious baby in the rain.
Anyway, we thought and thought...Phoebe had been in the running, Natasha...Daisy(I think that was a Fillmore name), Isabella, and Mary Margaret.
Paulina hates this name. We had inherited Terry's mom and stepdads little terrier and her name was Mary margaret of Monte Vista. I loved that dog(she is gone now).She was named after Terry's mom and aunt.
I have my older sister Mary and my younger sister Margaret. My mom's mom was Margaret, my aunt is Mary Margaret. Terry's mom is Mary, and his aunt Margaret.....many strong lovely women in our families with this name.
I made a concession with Paulina and we decided she would be called Mimi as a nickname. She accepted that.
Terry stayed with me for a few days and then returned to Michigan to work the remainder of his week. I was anxious to get home and begin all of the preparations for her coming home.
It is Memorial Day and I this has been the most emotional week of my life(along with giving birth to Paulina and marrying my darling husband.
I am exhausted, and our adventure has just begun.
More later
I went to visit my newly married sister Mary, down at a beach house in Casey key that she has been renting for years. Sometime in March, being homesick(she now lives in Jacksonville), she invited my mother and father, my baby sister Teresa, and myself.
It wasn't until I joined several Chinese adoption online support groups that I realized that our referral would come literally hours after I had left town.
The agency is always cautious in letting us know the timing of things because the Chinese government can be unpredictable.
I was told possibly the end of May or most likely June.
The other waiting parents on the internet were spreading rumours that the referrals would arrive on the May 23 and the cut off date for Dossier log in dates was 11/19/2004...this was the exact date our paperwork was logged in in China.
I was nervous about leaving and I emailed the agency all of my and Terry's contact numbers.
I thought that the trip would distract me from the wait(we had been waiting for Mimi for over a year).
I was on the beach in one of my favorite places in the world and my phone rang. I ran to the phone and I heard my darling Terry. He was crying he said "You are a mom" . I ,of course immediately, became hysterical. I had been preparing for this moment for what seemed to be most of my life and here it was.
I had put a sheet of paper by each phone with all of the questions to ask the agency when they had called. Terry was to overwhelmed(understandably), He found out her age(13 months), her birthdate(April 13 2004), and her name Nan Yu Bao, Nan is her surname and it will match every child brought to the orphanage in that year.Yu Bao we would later find out means, Precious Baby in the Rain.
The agency sends us the referral, which includes photos and her medical evaluation. It also contains an acceptance form that must we choose to accept her or not and then sign. This must be returned in 48 hours.
As I am gasping for breath and asking Terry questions, my sister is yelling in the background"Fly down Fly Down"
We had a voucher left over from another trip so Terry called the agency and had them reroute our baby to Casey key. He called work and made some lame excuse and was on a plane by 6 am the next morning.
I picked him up at the Tampa airport.
The beach house that my sister rents is right on the Gulf and when you are on the porch you can't hear when someone is at the door(no doorbell).
I made my mother sit by the door so we wouldn't miss the Fed Ex person.
We arrived home at 11:30 and the envelope was there waiting for us, our baby.
My mother urged us to go into a seperate bedroom for privacy but I just began opening the envelope ,searching for her .
I had been dreaming of her. I saw her little serious face and I thought that she really didn't look like any of the names we had on our list to name her.They suddenly seemed to cutesy for this baby.They lacked history and dignity somehow.
We scoured the medical report to try and figure out what was what. It was all in Chinese and I speak a little Mandarin but I don't read the characters.
Our agency called and told us that the translation had been emailed to me.
Terry and I jumped in the car and headed to the local library to find out more about our daughter. First, we signed the acceptance and overnighted it to the agency(we didn't have it notarized and that is another tale.)
We reached the library and got to a computer terminal. The computer took forever to sign on.
I printed out the report and Terry went to the front desk to pick it up. He was walking toward me and we both said in unison"Precious Baby in the Rain".
I began to weep, one ,because this really implicates that when they found her she had been left in a place not sheltered form the rain. They commented in her file that she was wet when she came to the orphanage.
In addition to that, I call Terry my precious baby, I call my daughter precious baby. When I was growing up, I called my little sisters precious baby.
I was dissecting the report to see what they had to say about her. She is healthy, she laughs out loud, she loves to listen to adults talk, she likes music, and to play with rattle and small balls.
They went through her first year month by month. She seemed to be on target. She began to walk with help at 9 months.
She eats a lot(you can tell by the picture)
She eats pork bone soup,minced pork soup, egg soup,congee(rice cereal) fruit and vegetable juice.
In Terry's estimation, she is a genius.
I cried all of the way home. We got back to the house and started to face the next big question.Her name.
Terry refused to consider her name until he saw her. We had a list and I would press the issue because, I really wanted to name her, it made everything more real.
He then wanted to know, first, what her Chinese name meant. He tried to go online, when he first got her Chinese name and he figured it meant Jade, and knowlege.
That is Mandarin for you, it means Precious baby in the rain.
Anyway, we thought and thought...Phoebe had been in the running, Natasha...Daisy(I think that was a Fillmore name), Isabella, and Mary Margaret.
Paulina hates this name. We had inherited Terry's mom and stepdads little terrier and her name was Mary margaret of Monte Vista. I loved that dog(she is gone now).She was named after Terry's mom and aunt.
I have my older sister Mary and my younger sister Margaret. My mom's mom was Margaret, my aunt is Mary Margaret. Terry's mom is Mary, and his aunt Margaret.....many strong lovely women in our families with this name.
I made a concession with Paulina and we decided she would be called Mimi as a nickname. She accepted that.
Terry stayed with me for a few days and then returned to Michigan to work the remainder of his week. I was anxious to get home and begin all of the preparations for her coming home.
It is Memorial Day and I this has been the most emotional week of my life(along with giving birth to Paulina and marrying my darling husband.
I am exhausted, and our adventure has just begun.
More later
SUNDAY, MAY 29, 2005
Our baby is Here!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We are so happy to announce the referral of our daughter Mary Margaret Yu Bao Sipes.
Yu Bao means "Precious Baby in the Rain"
She is 13 months old and weighs about 20 lbs.
She was born in the Guangdong Province.
We will travel to get her sometime in July.
I will post more details on everything as I get closer to the earth.
Yu Bao means "Precious Baby in the Rain"
She is 13 months old and weighs about 20 lbs.
She was born in the Guangdong Province.
We will travel to get her sometime in July.
I will post more details on everything as I get closer to the earth.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18, 2005
leaving town
I have been looking at the web posts I subscribe to and the rumours are swirling about when we will receive our referrals.
The strongest rumour is that the referrals are coming next week, the cutoff log in date being 11/19(exactly ours).
Mary bought me a flight to Florida months ago and I am due to leave this Friday(20th). Paulina got asked to the prom(26th), and she is performing in a dinner theater at school(20th).
I am feeling so badly for leaving the family at this very busy and stressful time.
I will feel even worse if our referral arrives and I am not with Terry and Paulina to find out about our baby.
I am staying in a very glamorous beach house with Mimi(Mary) and my parents and my sister Teresa. I am certain that I will be a wreck.
I have spent a lot of time getting Paulina prepared for the prom and Terry will be photographing and videotaping the event.
I am riddled with guilt.
More later
The strongest rumour is that the referrals are coming next week, the cutoff log in date being 11/19(exactly ours).
Mary bought me a flight to Florida months ago and I am due to leave this Friday(20th). Paulina got asked to the prom(26th), and she is performing in a dinner theater at school(20th).
I am feeling so badly for leaving the family at this very busy and stressful time.
I will feel even worse if our referral arrives and I am not with Terry and Paulina to find out about our baby.
I am staying in a very glamorous beach house with Mimi(Mary) and my parents and my sister Teresa. I am certain that I will be a wreck.
I have spent a lot of time getting Paulina prepared for the prom and Terry will be photographing and videotaping the event.
I am riddled with guilt.
More later
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 2005
I am going insane
I haven't posted anything for awhile. I have been busy helping with Paulina's play(The Complete Works of William Shakespeare).
The play was fabulous and Paulina was hilarious.
I volunteered to do a lot of work on the show to keep me occupied while I endure this wait that seems to go on forever.
I have been visiting the different yahoo groups online and the rumours are beginning to swirl about referrals coming out next week.
We could be in that batch of referrals or we will be in the next batch(in June). I am so anxious, emotional and somewhat crabby.
I went to shop for Terry's neice, she had a baby shower athour house last weekend. I went into the Baby Gap and was surrounded by all of the darling little clothes. There was a Chinese mom and her 2 little girls in the store. I just began to weep. I can't describe the feeling of the connection to this little person who is out there somewhere . I purchased a few little dresses and a tiny bathing suit for her. I haven't really purchased anything for her and I just needed to have some things that make this all real and possible.
I am not really sure what is going on in Terry's mind. He is ever the patient soul.
Our 4 year wedding anniversary is on Thursday. I keep thinking about what it will be like for us next year.
Names considered for the baby:
Talullah
Phoebe
Quinn
Natasha
Ella
Daisy
More later
The play was fabulous and Paulina was hilarious.
I volunteered to do a lot of work on the show to keep me occupied while I endure this wait that seems to go on forever.
I have been visiting the different yahoo groups online and the rumours are beginning to swirl about referrals coming out next week.
We could be in that batch of referrals or we will be in the next batch(in June). I am so anxious, emotional and somewhat crabby.
I went to shop for Terry's neice, she had a baby shower athour house last weekend. I went into the Baby Gap and was surrounded by all of the darling little clothes. There was a Chinese mom and her 2 little girls in the store. I just began to weep. I can't describe the feeling of the connection to this little person who is out there somewhere . I purchased a few little dresses and a tiny bathing suit for her. I haven't really purchased anything for her and I just needed to have some things that make this all real and possible.
I am not really sure what is going on in Terry's mind. He is ever the patient soul.
Our 4 year wedding anniversary is on Thursday. I keep thinking about what it will be like for us next year.
Names considered for the baby:
Talullah
Phoebe
Quinn
Natasha
Ella
Daisy
More later
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
I've Got The World On A String
Several weeks ago, Mary's teacher had given the class an assignment that was designed to teach the children a few different skills. The project was to introduce the children to map reading and through tallying ,some math lessons.
The project involved the children contacting people they knew and asking for post cards to be sent to the class from where ever the people were.
We got into gear and contacted friends and family and made our request for Mary's class.
Every week, I would ask Mary if she was receiving postcards. "Yes" she would casually reply"but we share them with everyone so I don't know who has sent me cards".
Last week she started bringing home her own "share" of postcards because the teacher ran out of room on the world map.
Terry and I were so touched by the response of people all of the world who thoughtfully responded to Mary.
Postcards were from all over Michigan, the U.S. ,Europe, and Asia. The cards also contained lovely personal notes to the class, with some anecdotes on the particular area they were from and how to find them on the map.
I was so amazed by her first "wave" of cards to come home, I asked Mary if she had the most in the class. Mary responded that she wasn't sure because they all went into one community pile.
I think that the best part of the project was seeing the thoughtfulness of our family and friends and their family and friends. Everyone taking the time to help a little class of kids in Huntington Woods learn about the world. The class project revealed how fortunate we all are.
I must admit, I am curious as to how many more cards will be coming home.
Mary and I are working on making a scrap book of all of the beautiful cards.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Animus
My next featured favorite book is new to our collection. I originally was drawn to Animus, because the little girl in the story bore such a striking resemblance to Miss Mary.
The story is written and illustrated by Seoona Hong an artist, who is also the illustrator for projects like "Power Puff Girls" and "My Life as a Teenage Robot".
The illustrations are so simple and heartfelt, I could not resist.
Ms Hong describes the story;
“Continuing to work in the narrative, "Animus" is a collection of images depicting a journey toward emotional resilience. The young girl appears again as the protagonist, while a black dog represents the antagonist. I choose children to be my storytellers because of their innocence and innate honesty.
The purity of a child's character, before it is shaped by social propriety and shaded by self-doubt, inspires me. Although "Animus" illustrates a story of growth, it is not a morality tale. Rather, it is about the response to aggression; initially a reactive one, stemming from fear and discomfort, maturing to a more hopeful and compassionate resolve.”
--Seonna Hong
The message of the story is powerful on all levels.
We hope that Ms Hong decides to create more books.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Friday, May 6, 2011
New York State Of Mind
In my latest installment of my tribute to children's books I present "Eloise", written by the sublime Kay Thompson, illustrated by Hilary Knight.
I was introduced to this book in high school. My dear friend David , had an old family copy and he was always paraphrasing and using Eloisiana(the 0fficial language).
David and I identified with Eloise even in the throws of teenage angst.The idea of behaving in a raucous manner in public places had a ton of appeal.
I then introduced JieJie to it when she was little. We would read it over and over, unfolding the extra big page with Eloise using the Plaza's elevator system for her own mayhem and "skibbling".
When JieJie was about six, I had the pleasure of spending a glamorous Plaza time in NYC with a dear friend and we brought JieJie some of the out of print Eloise books from a local book dealer.(they are now back in print,due to Eloise demand)
It was then that I made the connection that the author Kay was the same Kay Thompson who was the amazing side kick to Fred Astaire in "Funny Face" with the Divine Miss Audrey.
Kay was an author, singer, songwriter, dancer, humorist and icon maker.( Ms Liza Minnelli, recently did a tribute to her on Broadway).
Now Mary is enjoying the antics of the precocious Miss E. with her dog Weenie(a pug no less).
and her band of employees and merry makers.
We once again unfold the long page and trace the antics of Eloise maneuvering her way through the elevator system of the Plaza, much to the chagrin of the white gloved, elevator operators.
A true classic.
Kay Thompson performing in "Funny Face"
Thursday, May 5, 2011
(Nothing But) Flowers
This photo captures how Terry and Greg feel about the Fairy FestivalLast weekend was our 2nd annual outing at the May Day Fairy Festival.
This time we had Aunt Cindy, Uncle Greg, and Daddy with us.
First we enjoyed a lovely lunch at French Laundry in Fenton and then on to the festivities.
There was a May queen, a Maypole and teeny fairies abound.
Of course the divine Miss M. had a wonderful time getting tattooed and making a mysterious fairy treasure box.
We did the Maypole dance and due to a rogue ribbon, I joined in. The average age of the dancing fairies was around 6 so you can imagine the spectacle.
The pictures look make the weather look a little ominous but it was lovely.
We found more teeny furniture for our fairy garden and more flowers for the fairies to seek shelter.
Miss M says that she is going to hook up cameras at night to get living proof of the fairies. She has become a skeptic in her old age.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wild World
Collage "Memorial" was created by Andrew Emil age 15From the book "The Day the World Changed"
As last Sunday's details began to unfurl, my Miss Mary began to ask all sorts of questions.
Mary is very aware of what goes on around her and she doesn't miss much.
I was paralyzed by the enormity of addressing the subject with her. I really didn't know where to begin.
Truth be told, I knew that she would have questions.As I was watching the reverie going on after President Obama's announcement , I was grappling with feelings of sadness and loss. I was thinking of healthy, intelligent ways I could convey the dreadful story. I made a note to self that I would clearly and concisely discuss the subject if she asked me about it. After all, Mary is a smart, tough cookie.
I was then actually faced with the insurmountable task of explaining that horrible day. I immediately flew into "my seat of the pants mode". I decided for lack of a better solution,on my part, to leave out a lot of detail.
I started with her questions.First question being, who was Osama bin Laden? I offered out a fairytale like statement "Osama bin Laden was a very ,very bad man."
Next were questions like, why was he bad? and that led to much stuttering and back peddling on my part.
I could have really used the news post from this blog at that point.
I didn't want to scare the hell out of her. Details of 9/11 are so daunting and not easy to convey to a seven year old kid who worries about every natural and unnatural disaster in the world.
I did want her to understand that the way that our world worked had changed dramatically on that day.
I thought about how I could talk to her about the mourning for all of the people lost in the 9/11 attacks and their families.
I could explain that I didn't think it was appropriate to be partying in the streets as if we were going to hang Mr bin Laden's head in the Lincoln Memorial.
I couldn't say that I knew that the death of Mr bin Laden does not mean the end of the struggle.
I could say that it is a good thing that America feels that it is safer and stronger now that he is gone.
I thought I would evoke wisdom and provide comfort. I would not admit that I was so confused by everyone's elation and relief over the Mr bin Laden's death, this was not a happy time.
Of course when the moment arose, I went back to the seat of my pants. I lolled into my "once upon a time" cadence .I explained to Mary, that Mr bin Laden was a bad man, who killed many people and did many bad things,for reasons that we couldn't understand and that now he too had been killed.
Mary responded by saying,"This whole story is sad, very sad."
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