Welcome home

K and I sat in the pick up line at M's school waiting for her and watching and listening to the small snowflakes bounce off the car with tiny pings. I noticed that I could see just one end of M's classroom through the window just in time to see her walk by. She was all business, putting some object away at the end of the day. Then she disappeared to the other end of the room, out of my sight.

I immediately began planning how I'd arrive at school just at the right time again on dark days while the snow is threatening but allowing me a voyeuristic look at my child in kindergarten. I'd been given a taste and I wanted more. I wished for a video camera so I could see what she's really like when her overbearing mother isn't messing things up for her.

The school bell rang, jolting me out of my devious daydream. It barely registered that some of the kids were emerging from the building holding American flags until Miss M appeared, waving her flag exuberantly.

"Hi Mom!" she greeted as she climbed into her booster seat. "We welcomed the soldiers home!"

Her school, you see, is next to the Armory. In my mind, I immediately pictured the street lined with children waving flags.

"I bet they really liked that," I told M as my eyes filled with tears.

"Yeah" she said confidently "people even honked and waved at us."

All I could think, behind my tears, was "how cool is that?"