Knowing What You Love

Daniel's love for military nutcrackers is well known.  Amy tried to give him a new nutcracker soldier each Christmas.  The most dramatic one that he has is one in green fatigues, clutching an American flag, certainly looking like someone who just got back from Iraq or Afghanistan.  In fact, I suspect that that was the intended market for these nutcrackers; the wives and parents of soldiers returning from those wars probably bought them as Christmas presents, to celebrate the return of their loved ones.  And Daniel is quite fascinated with the modern-day army, so of course he loves that nutcrackers.

He also has one from last Christmas - a mouse-soldier, more reminiscent of the ballet.  I was very moved the night of Christmas, I think it was, when Daniel, quietly and unexpectedly right before bed, wound it up, set it on the table next to the bed, sat on his bed, and watched the "show":  the nutcracker-soldier-mouse swung his arm back and forth in time to the music of the Nutcracker Suite.

And last night, in no identifiable context, Daniel announced:

"When I grow up, I want to have a whole army of nutcrackers."

I certainly believe him.

(May 22, 2013)