The Lion and The Lamb

I love the way words can represent thoughts and feelings, the way metaphors can relate experiences and descriptions.

 "In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb, March roars in like a lion so fierce, the wind so cold, it seems to pierce. 
The month rolls on and Spring draws near, and March goes out like a lamb so dear. 
~Lorie Hill

March.  Molly's birthday is the 2nd and Anna Cate's is the 29th, the whole lion and lamb reference sort of fits their personalities as well as their birth month.

Last week, we enjoyed both the lion and the lamb within a few days.


The lion...

The snow, not the child. 

We enjoyed a big March snow and three extra days together as schools were cancelled.

A truly strong person does not need the approval of others any more than a lion needs the approval of sheep. Vernon Howard 

The Child.

And in a matter of days, all the snow was gone and we galavanted to DC to spend the day with my dear friend Dorinda and her sweet dogs. The lamb, the weather.

We visited memorials of Lincoln and MLK, both of whom Anna Cate has learned about in school. Now that I'm thinking about it, they fit nicely in my lion/lamb metaphor. 

I love this scene at the MLK memorial,  reminding me how important words are and how important it is to teach my children of their value. 

Martin Luther King, a lamb. 

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.~Martin Luther King, Jr. 

 I think it is fair to call Lincoln a lion.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. --Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863 Gettysburg Address

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A little story about the girls and this metaphor. There is a girl in Anna Cate's class who isn't always very nice. Let's call her Betty. Several weeks ago, I told Anna Cate to ignore her (to be polite but not too eager to be her friend) and lo and behold, Betty started being nice again, yet when Anna Cate went back to her congenial self, Betty was back to her not-so-nice self.  So we had a conversation about it, "Molly said, I want to beat Betty up," to which Anna Cate responded, "violence is not the answer. Martin Luther King's house was bombed and he still was peaceful." 

The interchange and window to their personalities amused me, and I have to admit I do sort of see value in both. I cherish Anna Cate's sweet spirit but am sort of proud that Molly would stand up to anyone who is hurting her big sister. 

I think about the fun on the snow days and the joy of a sunny day, my sweet and spirited girls and the contributions of a war leader and pacifist on our country. 

In other pre-spring activities, the girls enjoyed a day at home with Nana when she visited for Molly's party.


Anna Cate ran her first race with her crossfit kid buddies and fabulous coach, Suzanne.

It was nice that Nana was still in town from Molly's birthday party the day before.

Anna Cate and Leana said their goal this year was to run a race. They did it!




Molly was a good cheerleader.

She insisted on taking her twin baby dolls in her new stroller from Baba.


In honor of the girls' March birthdays there were flowers in church given in their honor from "friends of their Grammy's." 
They were from Patti and Carolyn.

During the service, after reading the blurb in the bulletin, Anna Cate wrote this note.

Dear Grammy, thank you for those flowers you gave me and Molly. We love you so much.

"Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!" ~ Sitting Bull (A lion and a lamb)