Tonight is the night my dad's parade rolls. Unfortunately, he won't be riding. Army, Linus, and I planned to go anyway, but somehow it just doesn't feel right. Linus knows her grandfather is not quite the same as he used to be, but she associates that parade with him, and since the riders are masked, I'm worried it would confuse her. It feels odd not to be there though. It's also very sobering to know that he was riding happily last year, and this year it's just not happening. He's made tremendous strides, but he's just not ready to ride yet. Hopefully next year.
Linus LOVES Mardi Gras. The first Mardi Gras that she was able to really speak, she called it Party Bra! :) Nobody encouraged it, that's just what she heard. The riders on floats are masked, so you don't really know who they are. Since my dad was wearing a mask, he tipped it upward so she'd recognize him. Each float afterwards was met by Linus making a tipping gesture with her hand near her face and asking if the riders were her grandfather. She'd call the riders by my dad's grandfatherly name. That netted her lots of throws. It didn't take too long for the association to be solid. From there on out, she'd scream, "Hi PawPaw" or "I love you Pepere" as floats rode by. Little stinker!
2 comments:
Oh Lanny...I wish I could make it better. I wish there was something I could say. I wish I could give you a big in-person hug. The only thing I can do is adjust my Party Bra and say I love ya!
Happy Mardi Gras, sweetie! Sorry it's a bittersweet one.
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