When is the last time you explained the thinking behind Memorial Day to a four year old? Actually, she had the opportunity to hear all about it from Charles Durning and Gary Sinese the other night when we took the girls to see the National Symphony Orchestra dress rehersal of their Memorial Day concert.
Both girls loved it. We made them leave against their will at 8:45. They wanted to stay to the bitter end. Both Charlie and Gary gave graphic depictions of the horror of war that were completely moving, but let's just say Juliette came away with a bunch of questions about death, the military, and war in general.
We've been dealing with the concept of death for a while -- the mommy version, "people either get a special kind of sick, old, or have accidents." Regrettably, I forgot to include man against man in the honed down version of ways to die and Bruce got an earful tonight about war.
I've never been so glad to put Evie to bed!
It is an awfully sobering topic, on a somber day that seldom gets more than a few minutes devoted to the root of the holiday.
We have been reminded by Juliette to be thankful for the sacrifices that were made by those we remember today.
