Is It Possible To Have Roots, And Wings?

     Easter has come and gone, with April rains to follow.
     Certainly this holy holiday stirs up all kinds of emotions. A risen Christ for some, others a Passover dinner, spring weather and planting crops, chocolate makers are very happy this time of year, it is a personal journey. For me, a time of reflection of Easter clothes of my youth, and many pictures with the creepy, smelly rather large bunny, at local malls. Easter foods, and cherished church music, warm my heart after a long winter.
    Any holiday, after the loss of a child, takes on a new meaning. Yesterday we were combing the photo albums, for my son Hart's upcoming wedding, and the feelings I had were visceral. It brought me great joy to see me in photos with my babies, and remember so much. What they were wearing, how they smelled at any given age, and all the fun things we did together. I gave them roots and many stories to tell, so that they would have wings to leave me. It is not an easy concept, to spend so much time with these humans, and then they have their own life. It is enjoyable and peaceful to know, you as a parent, did your best job and it was awesome. Nicole mentioned while looking at the pictures, that we sure did dress up a lot in costumes!!( Nicole, bride to be) I laughed, and said, " It was cold and I was alone, so we just played all the time!" Was I a hovering lunatic parent, maybe??? I just like being with my children, and Easter reminded me of that.
  I read somewhere, that Maya Angelou said that you should always make your child glad to enter a room, that you are in. I probably did not always feel that way, nor did they. I think that arguments and disagreements are important also, how else do we both learn. Those things probably don't translate over into photographs. With pictures, you most always, see the best of times. There is an occasion that haunts Hart!!! whatever.....That he says??he photo-bombed a Christmas photo, I was taking of Brian and Keith, maybe Ward?? and he stuck is hand and face half way in and I sent him to his room!!!! One, chances are he needed to go to his room anyway, second..wonder why he was not in the picture to begin with??? I think a picture does not tell the whole story.
    Emma coming into our family, added an extra bunny to our family, and we were perfect. Perfectly imperfect, a chocolate bunny missing an ear perfect.
    Emma being a fifth child, her pictures are singular in nature, all others were in school. I was just so excited to dress a girl!! Such cute outfits, until she very early wanted to dress herself! Her Easter frocks were to die for, and I am sure she hated them! as I did mine growing up! All these things give us roots, family roots and stories, so deep and precious. Can you have roots and wings? I think so, maybe with a very long string attached. With  moms its just never cut, just stretched far and long.
   My Easter Basket was full of memories of days long ago, with a few pieces of candy sprinkled in, it was glorious. Alleluia.