One Elmo Doll, Two Red Shirts, Three Black Bananas, and Four Rubber Bands

The grandgirls came to stay with Bop and Grammy this weekend.
Lucy saw the new Elmo doll
sitting mid-staircase
as soon as she came in.
"Emmo!"
Elmo was a Goodwill find,
probably donated because he refused to sing.
He swam through the wash cycle
and thumped through the dryer
and emerged with his ABC song.
Who knew?
Lucy loved dancing while Elmo sang,
again
and again
and again.
After supper,
Elmo once more refused to sing.
I thumped him against the couch a few times.
The bad news--
and the good news--
is that his voice never returned.
He still is a good cuddler.

We took the girls
to an Eagle Scout spaghetti dinner fundraiser.
Always put red shirts on preschoolers
when taking them to spaghetti dinners.
It's not a bad idea for adults, either.

Anna Banana turned three black bananas
into banana bread
while Lucy squished chocolate chips
into Aldi sugar cookie dough.
While the house filled with delicious smells,
I, the mother of sons,
found four rubber bands
and put the girls' hair into pigtails.
"What do you say when Grammy puts your hair in pigtails?"
"Ow."
"What do you say when Grammy takes your hair out of pigtails?"
"Ow."
We went to visit my mom in the nursing home.
Mom seemed to be unaware of the girls
until we put Lucy
on the wheelchair's footrest.
While Anna and I pushed,
Lucy greeted everyone we passed,
and when we came
to a stretch of empty hallway
Lucy wanted to go fast.
Pigtails were flying
and Mom was holding on to Lucy's arm tightly.
Perhaps a thought surfaced:
She could fall off.
When the ride was over,
I had to peel Mom's fingers from Lucy's arm.
They both were smiling.

Mom and Lucy both enjoyed the ride.
They both are extremely cheerful people.
And now,
they both wear pull-ups.
Lucy's pull-ups give her freedom
and the thought that she is a big girl now.
Her experiences are limited
and there is so much she doesn't understand--
she was shocked to learn recently
that she will grow up.
Anna understands about growing up.
When she read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
she talked about going to kindergarten next year.
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses was harder for her to understand,
and I had to help with "corporate malfeasance."
I understand the adult humor in the Olivia books
but infinity
and the trinity
baffle me.
Our understanding
is limited
by our lack of experiences.

During Lent
we think about giving things up.
Mom has had to give up walking.
It was not her choice.
But God,
who created black holes
and bobcats
(Lucy calls them "Bop cats.")
and beryllium
chose to be limited to a human body
to break the rules of death.

On Easter morning,
coming soon to a planet near you,
we will celebrate
the thumping
and muteness of death
with Elmo dances
and bright colors
and good food
and hands raised
with

the spring wind
in our pigtails.



Blessed Lent!