in memoriam

Yesterday, we took the children in to Washington, D.C. to visit several of the war memorials and monuments. Although we've lived here for nearly three years now, we haven't taken the children to see these landmarks because ... my back isn't that strong.



But Memorial Day is very important to me, so in my quest to impress upon our children the significance of this solemn holiday, we seized the perfect weather and hopped on the metro for a day of adventure in the Nation's Capital.



We began our visit outside of the White House.



And then we crossed Constitution Avenue, amidst the tens of thousands of Harley Davidsons that were part of the 25th annual Rolling Thunder.



Where ever we went throughout the day, we could always hear the roar of the Harleys as they completed their Memorial Day pilgrimage.



The mission of Rolling Thunder is a tribute to the Prisoners of War - Missing In Action (POW-MIA) service men and women, with the purpose of reminding the government, media, and public that we will never forget. 



It brought a tear to my eyes to see these so many people united for a cause. There were young and old riders, but most were white haired men sporting some kind of black leather garment (vest or chaps, or vest and chaps), adorned with veteran patches. As they rode past, I could hear Lee Greenwood's song blaring from several stereos:

... And I'm proud to be an American, 

where at least I know I'm free. 

And I won't forget the men who died, 

who gave that right to me. 

And I gladly stand up, 

next to you and defend her still today. 

'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land, 

God bless the USA! 

They were quite a sight (and sound) to behold.



Especially up close.

Now son, whatever you do, don't knock down that motorcycle because they will fall like dominoes and our legs aren't long enough to carry us out of here as fast as we'd need to go.  Got it? 

We visited the World War II Memorial and I told our children stories about how Jim (Navy) and two of their great-uncles, my mother's brothers Uncle Ed (Navy) and Uncle Bernie (Marines) served in this war that claimed more than 400,000 American lives and more than 50,000,000 lives around the globe.  

We walked along the historic reflecting pool that is located between the Washington Monument...

And the Lincoln Memorial. 

Where we stood at the feet of one of the world's greatest leaders ... 

And undoubtedly greatest men of all time. 

(He sure used a lot of big words!)

We then made our way to the Korean War Memorial...

Where I told the children about my mother's twin brothers Uncle Bob (Army) and Uncle Ray (Air Force) and how they served for our country in this war that claimed nearly 40,000 American lives and nearly 3,000,000 lives in the region.



Freedom isn't free. 



We stopped and looked at the red silk flowers that were placed around the memorials.



And we discussed how important it is to always remember those people that bravely answered the call of duty and served our country.



From the Korean Memorial, we walked to the Vietnam Memorial.



And this memorial, more than any other, really seemed to impact the children.



We talked about how each of the nearly 60,000 names carved in to the wall was the name of a young soldier who had died in the war.



And we talked about Kathleen's younger brother, Terry, who died in Vietnam when we was only 21-years old. As we looked at the tributes that people had left for their lost one, we saw volunteers do rubbings of the etched names on behalf of a friend or family member who would be standing nearby, softly weeping.



We have a solemn obligation...



To never forget the sacrifices that so many brave souls have made (and will continue to make) for our country.



Today, we were planning to visit Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but we decided that we'll make that trek at some later date.



After hiking more than five miles around monuments and memorials ...



This little troop, with their extremely grateful and patriotic hearts, needed a nap.

they grow up so fast

Our baby birds eyes are now open and they're covered in soft down.



Because we want to minimize any disturbance to the nest, we check on them once or twice a week when we remove the plant to water it. One of the highlights for us has been listening to the mama bird when she flies back in to the nest after some time away, and a symphony of tiny tweets is heard from the pot. When I saw them earlier in the week, when their eyes were still closed, if I made any noise, their beaks would fly open.



I could have sworn this one was trying to tell me about how homework is such a drag and why must she clean up her nest every day? And her siblings have absolutely no respect for her personal space and they constantly get in to her collections and mess up her art work and are so loud and so messy and are always bumping in to her and why can't she just have her own nest where she can do whatever she wants?



Or maybe she's just hungry and I'm hearing an echo from my own home?

tweet! tweet!

Charlie and I had promised ourselves (and each other) that we wouldn't tell the children about the bird nest, for fear that they might accidentally disrupt it with all of their child-like enthusiasm.



I didn't actually tell the children about the nest. I just showed them the pictures that I'd snapped off and then they spent the better part of three minutes trying to figure out which plant pot the nest was in.



They finally figured it out when the mama bird flew out of the pot and buzzed them as she flew up to the tree. Rightly so, they shrieked.



We had the kids promise - PINKY SWEAR PROMISE - that they wouldn't bother the nest. And then we had to spend the next seven days watching them every time they went outside to ensure that they lived up their promises.

This past weekend, one week after we found the nest, we lifted the plant out of the pot and what to our wondering eyes should appear ....



But five tweeting birds that were quite difficult to hear!

Earlier the same day, the children discovered a turtle migrating across our driveway.



It's like Nat Geo wild in our front yard!

little birds, out on my doorstep

This is our quaint little house.  Our quaint little house that we've toiled over the past nearly three years. Scraping, painting, demolishing, replacing, sweeping, cleaning.



This is our newly finished front stoop. Our newly finished front stoop that we have really enjoyed resting on, while eating ice cream sandwiches, when we're not scraping, painting, demolishing, replacing, sweeping and cleaning.



These are our happy and vibrant plants. Our happy and vibrant plants that I saw in Walmart and was drawn to like a moth to the flame.  I'd gone in to purchase Claritin-D and came out with these plants, instead.



I think they're called Kalanchoe Calandiva ... something or other.  But I just call them KC.



When I bought these annual plants last month, I had every intention of removing them from their plastic containers (which were wrapped with decorative yellow cellophane) and potting them. But, you know what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions.   Six weeks later, whenever I walk past them (every single day), I feel this nagging that I just need to STOP what I'm doing and pot the plants already.  And yet... I don't for reasons that have eluded me.

Last Sunday, Mother's Day, we removed everything from the front stoop so we could hose it down. As Charlie was removing our KC plants in their crinkly wrappers from the ceramic pots, he asked me if I was ever planning to pot these plants?  "Sure," I said. "One day. Hopefully before fall. Unless we just embrace the lovely subtlety of the disposable yellow plastic and keep them that way all summer!"

We laughed.

And then we noticed that there was a nest in the ceramic pot.



A nest ... which had been constructed beside the plants and was contoured around the disposable plastic container and had been protected beneath the bright yellow cellophane. We stood in amazement at this tiny creation.  It's a miracle to us that a little bird that probably weighs no more than a pound, can create something that is so precisely engineered.  We have tried to construct bird nests before with our children and they never turn out very well.



And yet here, hidden behind the plant that I was supposed to pot last month, was a perfectly constructed nest with five perfectly spotted little eggs.

Sparrow, we think.

Had I actually potted this plant, it's unlikely that a mama bird would have found this to be the ideal place to construct her nest and lay her precious eggs.

So I like to think that this is a perfect example of the Universe showing me that every so often, the To-Do list really is for the birds.

happy mothres day!

So much of the good that I have in my life comes from my own mother and the countless women who have perhaps, unknowingly, been a model for kindness, patience and grace.

For as much humor as I find in cards such as this one...

And this one ...

In the words of George Will, I know it to be true that: "We are given children to test us and make us more spiritual."  Motherhood is an enigma: It is the most thankless job I've ever had, but also the most rewarding ... it is the most exhausting experience and yet, the most energizing. Nurturing and helping to shape the future of humanity is a divine position, indeed.

There's no question that becoming a mother has been the most awesome privilege of my life and the greatest impetus for me to become a better person and strive to create a better world.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all of those that are traveling the same blessed path.