I'm snatching a moment while Matt is away from his computer to give a dinky update on our trip so far.
We left yesterday AMAZINGLY, at 10:00am on the dot (I called it-Matt insisted that we would leave at 9, but I know us better than that). The car is packed to stuffed, as you can imagine. Its so much more complicated, packing for three people that have opinions about what they take, rather than just one. I let Emma and Aedan spend most of Monday negotiating with me not only about the contents of their bags, but which bags they would take. Matt was surprised and unhappy to find that everyone has Their Own Bag. Nobody is sharing. Yesterday evening, apparently, when Matt was piling a cart high with all our stuff to come into the hotel, someone had the audacity to laugh at him. Heh. Sort of wish I'd been there.
We've just spent the night in Lexington, VA. I really want to get off the main road and see the Blue Ridge Mountains, and Matt really doesn't want to back track, so we stopped here instead of going all the way to Roanoke. Although as I look out the window it is pouring rain, so it will be a gray morning in the mountains. I'm bewitched by all the signs for 'Historical District', but Matt says every town in a America has a 'Historical District' and that we must not be suckered in. I guess we'll be choosing our detours carefully.
We have had our mishaps. Thought we only had one car sick child whom we managed, all day, to keep from throwing up (poor child). But it turns out we have two. Aedan managed to keep it together all day, and then threw up everywhere within 5 minutes of being in the hotel room. So we didn't go out to dinner. Matt ran around and find Chinese food (I know, come all the way to Lexington and eat Beef Broccoli, but the children love rice) and everyone had a bath.
This morning the children have watched, to my horror, Higgley Town Heroes, learning that the bridge builders and backhoe operator are Heroes. 'That's not true, Emma', I pointed out, 'You don't get to be a hero for doing your duty'. 'Not everyone is a hero'. Will have to bring it up again in the car. Honestly, the mediocrity, the political correctness, the insipidness of it all.
Anyway, onwards and upwards. The arguing about how far to go must Commence!
4 comments:
I hate to post this hot on the heels of my praise for Matt's Mary and Martha sermon, but Matt! You're wrong! Lexington VA is one of the loveliest towns we ever stopped in seredipitously on our way to Martha's Vineyard three summers ago. It's the home of Washington & Lee University (v pretty) but also Virginia Military Institute, where we walked around in the twilight and tried to convince our middle son to begin making plans to attend. The statues of Cincinnatus, citizen soldier, and Stonewall Jackson were inspirational. You can see his famous words, "You may be whatever you resolve to be." Better than Higgley town Heroes anyday!
(OK, I'll stop now...)
anne, hate to rain on your parade, but the working class are heroes. you just can't see that because you live in a perfect little suburban home.
;-)
It does dilute the meaning of the word hero to call every backhoe operator a hero.
At the same time there certainly could be people who are not known in song and story who are heroes to God; who keep working at their ordinary jobs and supporting their families, even if the marriage isn't as wonderful as it could be or is worse than that, and they have been drawn to, but not followed, much more sympathetic people, even if they are really interested in history now and would like to go back to school, even if their kids aren't appreciative and give them grief, even if their arthritis makes every day a battle with pain and stiffness...etc etc. This might take more true heroism than jumping into the river once to save a drowning child.
Or are there no heroes to God because "When you have done all that was commanded, say, I am an unprofitable servant."? But then the category of hero becomes merely a secular one, greatly mixed with the idea of fame and renown.
Just some thoughts off the top of my head. I really enjoy your accounts. I wish I had written some like this when my kids were little. There wasn't an internet to put them on, but I could have put them in a journal.
Wish we had known the Kennedys were coming through Virginia. There are a lot of your Stand Firm friends who would have loved to have had "all y'all" to dinner!
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