Charting the Seasons

I had one of those very happy parenting moments earlier today. We'd gone to the Dollar Store to buy Valentine cards for the Sweet Girl to give out to her pre-school classmates next week when they have their party. The Dollar Store was Saturday-crowded and lots of other parents and young children seemed to have the same idea about shopping for Valentines because the aisle with the cards was the most crowded of all. We decided to duck into the aisle next door and try to approach the cards from the other direction, which was fine except that we were assailed immediately by an aisle full of...you guessed it...Easter things.

Later, after making our purchases and getting back into the car, the Sweet Girl began musing in the back seat. "Excuse me, Mommy," she said politely, in her "my-wheels-are-turning-and-I-have-something-important-to-tell-you" voice. "Halloween comes first," she announced, "and then Thanksgiving." Then without missing a beat, she added, "And then comes Advent, and then Christmas." I was inwardly rejoicing over the fact that she'd thought to put Advent on her list, showing that our efforts have paid off and she moves to the rhythm of different and deeper seasons than those defined by retailers. But before I could say anything, her Daddy prompted, "then what comes next?" I assumed she'd say Valentines Day, especially considering where we'd just been, so my heart did a wonderful little flip-flop of joy when she announced, without a moment's hesitation and with great enthusiasm: "Epiphany!"

Once in a while, you get a tiny affirmation that you're doing something right.