Little Moments

On Monday night I won an auction to earn my kids the right to be the first kids to skate on the new outdoor rink in town. These tickets allowed the lucky kids to be two of the first five people on the ice. So, it was sort of a cool thing. At least I thought it was sort of a cool thing. Last night was the big night. So, we hauled the kids downtown for their big skate.

Now, my kids can ice skate. We go a couple of times a year, so they aren't total rookies, but they aren't great either. But they can make their way around the ice without clinging to the edge as if it were a life boat in the middle of the ocean, but they never emerge from the ice rink without wet knees and a wet bottom. No problem I thought. Sharky, the mascot for the San Jose Sharks will be there as will a couple of Shark players, the girls can grab their hands. They'll make the lap.

I broke the big surprise to the kids on the way to the rink and La Nina started complaining. I don't want to go out there. I don't want to skate. Everyone will look at me. I don't want to do it. Her complaints were many, long and loud. The Magster on the other hand asked if she had to hold hands with the Shark players, I told her No, but they would help her (and how many other women in the world would kill to hold hands with a professional hockey player?). She said she would be fine alone...and that was the end of the discussion for her.

We got to the rink and La Nina was still complaining. Given the passion she was putting into her complaints, we knew she wouldn't take the ice. So, hey, first five skaters, big honor, surely we could find someone who wanted La Nina's ticket. The first person we approached was perfect. Her niece, 8, had lost her Mom suddenly in May. The little girl had been moved from Colorado to our city after her mother's death. Poor kid, lost her Mom, then had to change her entire life within a couple of weeks. But the little girl had been a trooper and six months later she was settling in. This was the perfect reward. We happily handed the little girl La Nina's ticket and helped Maggie get in position to take the ice.

In the end, everyone was happy. The Magster was led around the ice, not by a boy, but by two lovely ice dancers who happened to be girls. La Nina watched from the side boards while her sister took the first lap. And we were not mad at La Nina for bailing on our big surprise, because our friend's niece's smile was a delight to see.