Mason Came to Maple Leaf

Our town has a week long Maple Leaf Festival. The week ends with a major parade and marching band competition on the third Saturday in October. Every year this turns out to be my birthday week. We have memories of taking toddlers to watch the parade, putting kids on cub scout floats, kids marching in band, boys riding the massive bucket trucks when they were on sports teams. The last year of my dad’s life, he was here for a parade he enjoyed more than all the rest he had seen over the years. He and I both had a sense things were coming to an end. I never had the heart to return to the parade after he was gone and the children were grown.

However, this year the oldest son wanted to bring his two year old home from Kentucky to see his first parade. A new baby is on the way and things were touch and go for a while, but the latest ultrasound showed improvement. So Mama stayed home to rest and Daddy flew Mason in to the Northwest Arkansas Airport where we picked them up. Quiet time was over then for a few days.

Who doesn’t love a parade? The brassy sounds of horns and beating drums, loud sirens, queen candidates, clowns, and this year too many politicians. But the weather was perfect. and we were thrilled to see the parade through Mason’s eyes. Three hours of cloudless skies and peppy marchers ended, and we came home to chili and hot dogs on a leaf strewn deck. A perfect day…a gift for Grammie.

How a child makes things fresh again! Even an ordinary yellow school bus looks like a golden chariot when reflected in an eager boy’s eyes. How sweet of our local school bus drivers that they tooted and waved every day Mason was here!