Diwali

We went to a Diwali celebration today.   It turns out it’s not Diwali yet, but that didn’t dampen our enjoyment of the day.   None of the people in our family had ever gotten a henna tattoo before.  My daughter and I got something done on one of our hands but my son wasn’t sure about doing anything until an older Indian man talked to my son about a dragon on the inside of his forearm.   That convinced my son.

We had met Aditi, a student in my daughter’s class, earlier and were spending time with her while her mother performed on stage.   We walked around and held our arms still, waiting for the henna to dry.   My daughter and her friend wanted to get their faces painted.   My daughter patiently waited as we talked to them about what the money was being raised for: an all-abilities playground.  When they realized my daughter and her friend were visually impaired, they were interested in talking to us about vision loss and how they liked school.

After my daughter got her face painted as a “blue dragon” we met Aditi’s mother and all got in line for various Indian foods.  We were also with my daughter’s braillest from last year, who is a fan of all kinds of food.   Mrs Aagaard suggested we meet together as she hadn’t seen Aditi since the end of kindergarten when she retired.   After lunch we made plans to get together soon, possibly at Aditi’s house.

My son was excited because the next place we were going (after picking up my car from getting new tires) was his school’s capital campaign celebration.   It was the culmination of over four years of fundraising, school building and more fundraising.   He wanted to show his teacher, who is Indian, his dragon henna tattoo.

I had a good time, seeing old trustees and parents I hadn’t seen in several years.   My daughter had a chance to play with some of the friends she used to be in the same class with when she went to the school two years ago.

A fun day, but we all got cold and headed home where Nana and Papa had just arrived.   Tomorrow we’re going to the state fair.   We love the state fair.

The Big Boy Update:  My son said tonight when we got home that he was happy because a lot of people know him at his school.   He is coming into a more positive experience socially at school.   He’s having a much easier time relating with and making friends.   It’s boosting his self-confidence a lot too.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter got a henna tattoo and had her face painted today—and she can’t see any of it.   But she wants the experiences.   She knows people will see her tattoo and look at what’s on her face and talk to her about it.   It’s fun for her, even if she can’t experience it visually.