Liam learned the national anthem in school, and taught it to his brother on the way to Michigan. What amazes me is how quickly Timmy learned the words - or a facsimile of them - considering much of the vocabulary and sentence structure is way beyond him. He really struggled with the line about the ramparts, trying out rabbits and vampires before settling on van parts. He calls the song "the Imaginal Anthem."
On the second night of our trip, we attended a hockey game at Michigan Technological University. Everyone stood up and turned toward the flag, we heard the music start, and Timothy's eyes grew round. He stood tall on his chair and sang it out loud and clear, hand on his heart, from "Oh hey can you see" all the way to "the home of the brave."
Don't you wonder what that must have been like for him? We sing a lot at home, and at church...but for a three-year-old to be able to sing along with a whole arena full of people, that's different. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I do think it was a magical moment for Timmy, a realization that he's part of something bigger that the world of his day to day experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment