Twenty Remained Standing

I attended my older son’s Veteran’s Day school assembly this morning to listen to his select group in the band play a piece with the choir.  In an hour, I’ll be heading to my youngest son’s assembly where he will be part of the Color Guard.  I don’t know what the assembly will entail this afternoon, but the one this morning was very moving.  The school had a wonderful ceremony and did an outstanding job of recognizing all those students who have an active family member in the military. They were asked to sit in a special section together and when they were recognized, over 100 students stood up (according to the Veteran’s Day e-mail the school just sent out.) When they asked the ones to remain standing who currently had a parent deployed, over 20 remained standing.   I was moved.  That is such a huge sacrifice for those families.   I can’t imagine being away from my family for a year or more at a time. 

I am however, so very grateful for the military mothers and fathers who serve our country every day so that we may sleep soundly in our beds at night and enjoy the freedoms we do as Americans.  If it weren’t for them, our lives could be very different.  My heart though, is with those 20 or so students who stood up during the assembly this morning whose parent is deployed.  Their mothers don’t get to kiss them good night.  Their fathers don’t get to attend their soccer games.  They don’t get to tell their parents what silly thing happened during Algebra class or what upset them during lunch.  They are making a sacrifice as well.  

I am not from a military family, so cannot begin to imagine what it would be like to have a family member in harms way during this time of war.  For those students, still young children really, this is their reality.   They must go to bed each evening with a part of them worried for their parent’s safety.   Tonight I will worry with them.   Seeing those boys and girls stand proudly in honor of their mothers and fathers touched me.  Tonight I will kiss my two boys goodnight for the mothers and fathers who cannot kiss their own.  I will tell my boys that I love them, like I do every night, but I will share that love with those parents who are serving our country to keep us safe.  I will remember them tonight and offer up and extra prayer of protection for them and hope that those students will not have to stand up next year.

I have an uncle who served our country and my mother’s cousins have served as well.  To them, I say thank you and to their families, I say thank you.  We appreciate the sacrifice you’ve made for all of us. 

Photo Credit

Daily Gratefulness

-for the ability to kiss my children good night

-for the people willingly serving our country

-for red, white and blue

Making Your Move

In general, I would describe my youngest son as pretty reserved and generally quiet and low-key.  He does however, have quite a sense of humor and surfaces sometimes when you least expect it.  Yesterday was one of those times.  We were in the kitchen after school, getting homework out and he was scavenging through the snacks when he turned around and announced that one of his friends told him about three ways to put your arm around a girl. This was completely out of the blue.  (He obviously had been waiting for the right time to show us his new found skills.) This is how it went.

            MY SON:

            Method #1:  Counting Shoulders

The first way works by counting shoulders.  You have to stand with the girl on your right and say, “Hey, let’s count shoulders!”  With your right hand, you start by counting your left shoulder, then right shoulder, then her left shoulder and end with your hand on her right shoulder.  The way he counted it out made my head spin.  It was beyond funny.  “One, Two, Three, Fooooouuuur!”  He was raising his eyebrows and using very “grown up” facial expressions and quite the infliction in his voice.

Method #2:  I Caught a Fish Story

Again, the girl has to stand on your right and you begin explaining to her that you went fishing and caught a fish,  “I went fishing and caught a fish this big,” (hands show length of fish to be about 6 inches apart). “Then I caught a fish this big,” (hands show length of fish to be about 20 inches). “And the last fish I caught was thiiiiiiiis big,” (right arm goes behind the back of the girl allowing you to place your hand on her shoulder).  He had the same tone and expression and I could barely hear the last method because I was laughing so hard!

Method #3: Pirate’s Parrot Shoulder Preference

Just like the other two ways, the girl has to stand on your right.  This one is short and quick.

“Which shoulder do pirates prefer to put their parrots on?”  “This shoulder?” (Hand touches

his left shoulder.) “Or thiiiiiiis shoulder?” (He places his hand on her right shoulder.)

His delivery was impeccable.  Unbelievably funny.  It was as if he had practiced it in his head ten times before he got home to show us.  And the part that made it so hilarious was the fact that it was so out of character for him.  His tone and actions were so grown up and not to mention the subject matter was so beyond his circle of topics (at least at this point in his life).  

He even showed Nani (all on his own, mind you) the three methods and couldn’t stop smiling while he demonstrated his techniques for her.  I haven’t laughed that hard in quite a while.  Plus, I couldn’t get past the fact that this was a discussion he and his friend actually had out at recess. 

Who needs television or any other entertainment when you have children to amuse you?