A is for Angel

Yep, lead angel that is. I was sitting here tonight in Arlington (another A) and was thinking about grade school. More specifically, second grade. I think I have mentioned her before, but my second grade teacher was one Miss Anna Maslij. She was amazing. The lessons she taught me have sincerely stuck with me all these years. She was very much into teaching basics, and lasting life concepts.

I remember two of her favorite phrases:

"What you have is the best for you"
"You are a promise, you are a possibility"

Anyhoo... this isnt so much about those two phrases, but another thing that Miss M. was very much into was order. Alphabetical, spatial, etc. This was Catholic school after all. We were always organized alphabetically, and then when all else failed, we were lined up by height. Now, I don't know how many of you know this, but I am tall for a girl. I was exceptionally tall for a second grader. So much that I was the tallest girl in my class. Much to my chagrin, I was not, nor ever have been "the cute girl". Once in a while however, it came in handy. I was the tallest girl, so I got nominated to crown the Virgin Mary at May Day. I was always the last in line. I remember filing into mass, and being stuck with all the boys because I was the tallest. My dear mother had a penchant for buying me coordinating knee socks to go with the plaid uniforms. The worst combination was a green cardigan, the plaid skirt, and then (the horrors), green cable knee socks. For that entire year, everyone called me the Jolly Green Giant. I still have an aversion to wearing forest green to this day.

I digress.

Part of Miss Maslij's spatial compulsions was to assign us various roles and responsibilities based on height. Yes, dear readers, she was a sizest.

Part of being in Catholic school was the never ending preparation for the Christmas Eve pageant. Yes, there was much drama and consternation about who got to be Mary, who got to be the three wise men, and most importantly, who got to be the "Lead Angel"

You would think that the person who was assigned to be the "Lead Angel" would be given that part based on her grace, her gentle demeanor, etc. Not in our second grade. The Lead Angel was given to the tallest person in the class. WHOO FREAKING WHOO-- finally this sister (not a nun) got a break. I got to be the one who walked up the main aisle of the church with my star bringing the Wise Guys to bear their gifts to the baby Jesus. As anyone who went to Catholic School can attest- this was a BIG DEAL. HUGE!

I remember the costume my mom made me- long white shift. My "star" as it was, comprised of a tin foil covered yard stick and a big ass card board star covered in Reynolds finest. I had a halo (only then, only then), and I was proud.

To this day when ever I hear "We Three Kings" all I can think about is walking down the aisle carrying my yardstick and thinking I was the coolest thing in the world.

Yes, for one brief hour on that Christmas eve in 1984, I was an Angel. Not any angel, the LEAD ANGEL.