Ella's softball team, along with the entire boys and girls' little league, was invited to march in our town's Memorial Day parade. I wasn't sure we would and then the twins mentioned it to Ella and she was into it, plus we are trying to really teach her about being responsible to her team so we decided to do it. Memorial Day morning found me helping Ella do her hair for the parade and explaining to Maya 100 times that she and I would not be in the parade wearing rainbow leis and throwing candy.
(Our entire family had some extensive parade experience last summer marching for Yes on 1. You can relive the joy here and here.)
We got Ella in the parade line-up and went to elbow in for a good seat. Turns out there was no need since there were only about 6 other people lining the main street. This made me worry that we had gotten the time wrong and were an hour early. Maya and I went into the Irving for coffee and a lollipop. Maya didn't get to march or throw (eat) any candy. The least I could do was buy her a lollipop.
Then the parade started up! And there were Ella and the twins!
But wait! Don't blink, because then the parade was over. I think it was 1/1000th of a mile long.
The kids marched past the now baker's dozen of spectators to the cemetery where there was a rather lengthy ceremony that was, proportionally, about 20 times as long as the parade itself. I think it is wonderful to honor those who have sacrificed for our country, for our people. And I became excruciatingly aware as I watched Ella across the graves that she likely had not a clue what was happening and I had really not educated her properly about this holiday.
Given the length of the ceremony, I was immensely grateful that I had splurged on the giant, round lollipop that takes a child about 3 days to eat. It kept Maya very calm. And I mean calm in that I was ignoring the sugar building up in her circulatory system and saturating her blood with the coiled energy only sugar can give a child.
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