One of my paternal grandmother’s favorite euphemisms when she became exasperated by the ignorance of someone who had trampled on her last nerve was “he didn’t have any more sense than the man in the moon.” Ma’s euphemisms were more like proclamations that I took to be absolute truth, which meant I had little regard for the man in the moon of my childhood. Yesterday I saw him through different eyes.
Nana and I took care of our two young granddaughters, four year old Ella and twenty-two month old Molly, while their parents enjoyed a day of food, friends and college football. Activities had been fast and furious for the girls – Nana and I had struggled to keep pace, but late in the afternoon they settled outside playing together in the sandbox where unfortunately an argument over a pink shovel caused a meltdown by Molly which sent Ella scrambling to a small hammock swing nearby. The next thing I knew Molly had climbed in the hammock with Ella (Nana gave her a leg up), and both of them were laughing while Nana pushed them, twirling them around like a ride at the state fair.
As twilight came too soon for the girls who cried Nana, go higher, go higher I had a Thanksgiving moment for these three: my wife who shared the past twenty-two years with me and the two little girls whose lives added another dimension for our family.
Finally, Nana stopped swinging the small hammock, and Ella jumped out of the swing. Hey, everybody, I see the moon, she exclaimed with delight. Naynay, come see the moon, she insisted. I left my chair on the deck to do as she told me because that’s how I roll with this four year old. Nana picked up Molly to stand next to Ella who pointed to the moon for her younger sister. Molly said moon, moon while her face beamed brighter than the moonlight.
I told the girls a story about a man in the moon, but the man I saw with them through their eyes was a kind man – very smart – who simply stayed in the sky to watch over us. Why? Ella asked. Good question, I replied.
*******************
“The oak trees were alive with color in the midst of the evergreens. Bright red and yellow leaves catching the sunlight as Daddy and I walked through the brush early that Thanksgiving morning. The smell of the pines was fresh and all around us. We didn’t speak, but this was when I felt most connected to my father. Nature was a bond that united us and the gift that he gave me. And not just in those East Texas woods. He envisioned the whole earth as my territory and set me on my path to discovery. In 1958, this was remarkable for a girl’s father…Perhaps, though, it is the love and closeness of those family ties that leave the sights and sounds that last a lifetime.” (from Deep in the Heart: A Memoir of Love and Longing)
Thanksgiving blessings to you and your family from ours in South Carolina
I'll Call It Like I See It 
Comments
6 responses to “the man in the moon”
Beautiful. Like every child, and their loving caretakers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so very much, Cindy. Takes one to know one!! Happy Thanksgiving!!
LikeLike
What I neglected to add, because I’m getting old and forgetful, is in Asian and many Native American cultures, instead of a man, there is a rabbit on the moon. So, in the Cree story, when the crane carried the rabbit to the moon it left its shadow there. One story tells us the rabbit held onto the crane so hard its paws bled. When they reached the moon, the rabbit placed a paw on the crane’s head in thanks leaving the crane with a red head.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had heard about the rabbit on the moon but never knew the origin! Leave it to my friend of many moons…
LikeLike
From worldbirds.com – A tale from the Cree Nation to tell the girls about the moon:
“According to a Cree legend, the red face and long legs of the [sandhill] crane are the result of a favor it once did for the rabbit. The story goes that the rabbit was admiring the moon one day when he decided that he would like to go there. He asked each of the birds to take him, but the hawk and eagle said the moon was too far and the sparrow and wren said that he was too heavy to carry. Finally, rabbit asked the crane who promised to try his best. The rabbit held onto the crane’s legs, but since he was quite heavy they began to stretch. Still, the crane endured until he was huffing and puffing and red in the face. Still, he kept going. Finally, the two reached the moon and enjoyed the view of the earth below. From then on, the crane has had long legs and a bright red face.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
Magical! Ella will love it!!
LikeLike