My brother, Michael, and his family came to Hoboken this past weekend to celebrate Easter with me. With daffodils, tulips, and robins lining the streets, I couldn’t help but notice the symbols of spring and even the first signs of spring fever budding within my nine year old nephew, Michael. On our walk to dinner, I plucked a sprig of cherry blossoms from a tree and gave them to my niece, Madelyn, who immediately tucked them behind her ear. With one glance, I knew that Michael wanted one too. I picked another sprig and handed it to him. Michael was delighted to be included in our little gift giving, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to do with these flowers now that he had them.
We continued walking on Washington Street until we reached our destination, the Elysian Cafe. After being quickly seated, we were introduced to our waitress and ordered our drinks. In her early twenties, Vanessa had kind eyes and a bright smile and radiated positive energy. When she brought back our drinks, my nephew caught her eye and with a combination of bashfulness and boldness said, “Vanessa, I would like you to have these cherry blossoms.” I don’t know who was more stunned by Michael’s charming move, Vanessa, or my brother and sister-in-law, Joanna. Vanessa graciously accepted the flowers, thanking Michael profusely for his kindness, and then headed back to the kitchen to pick up some food for an adjacent table. Michael and Madelyn turned their attention to their iPod games, while Joanna revealed to me that Michael is starting to have feelings for girls, including one special classmate.
When Vanessa returned to our table, we all noticed that she was wearing the flowers in her bun. With flushed cheeks and minimal eye contact, my nephew shyly muttered, “Vanessa, the cherry blossoms look very pretty in your hair.” We all smiled at our boy and proceeded to watch him devour his cheese steak. At the end of our meal, we asked Vanessa for our check and with it she brought Michael a large mint chip sundae with oreo cookie crumbles. Michael sheepishly grinned, thanking Vanessa, and then proceeded to proudly share his ice cream with all of us.
With its symbols, eggs, chicks, bunnies, first pitches and colorful flowers, Easter and spring represent growth and renewal, abundance and vitality, youth and purity. It is a joy to watch Michael awaken to this new stage of his development with the tenderness and vulnerability of a fledgling bird. I continue to feel incredibly blessed to have a front row seat as Michael and Madelyn mature, allowing me to revisit my own memories of childhood with a smile. I am just relieved that my favorite Romeo isn’t too old to still enjoy the thrill of a good Easter egg hunt or visiting his Aunt Cindy’s apartment in Hoboken.
Want to see more? You can find the entire Easter 2012 gallery at http://bit.ly/Hr0nZ4
He’s a charmer!
That boy has all the charm and “lines” just like his daddy!!!! Love that boy!