SPRINGDALE - Startled initially by the sirens from police cars and fire trucks, the little girl rushed back into the arms of her mother.
It was a parade for the Rodeo of the Ozarks and I stood silently in downtown Springdale and watched the procession from the best vantage possible.
Through the eyes of a child.
Jocelyn, who turned 2 years old on the day of the parade, stood near the corner of Emma and Park, just feet away from Piper, who is 5. Both swiveled their heads back-and-forth, not knowing what to expect while waiting for the parade to begin.
Suddenly, Jocelyn’s mother pointed down the street and her birthday girl with a bow on her head came alive.
“Horsey, horsey,” Jocelyn squealed as her eyes widened and her little feet came inches off the ground.
People throughout the world pour into the streets for various reasons, often in angry and violent protests. But the attraction last week in Springdale was a good, old-fashioned parade with a long line of cowboys and cowgirls, horses and mules, wagons and cars.
Jocelyn doesn’t know about the violence in Egypt, where thousands marched into the streets to demand the resignation of their president. She doesn’t know why people gathered in front of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. to hear a decision on gay rights and marriage equality.
And she doesn’t know why people shout at each other whenever someone mentions the issue of abortion.
Hopefully, Jocelyn will experience many times over those wonderful things that unite us instead of the complex issues that divide us. Like the simple pleasure of sitting on a couch with your family and watching the “Wizard of Oz” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” each year. Or from reading “Green Eggs and Ham” by yourself for the first time.
When Jocelyn is old enough, she will begin to make her own decisions on the major issues of the day. But on this day, July 3, 2013, Jocelyn stood with her mother and watched a rodeo parade for the very first time.
And she waved excitedly as the horsies passed by.
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RICK FIRES IS A SPORTS WRITER FOR NWA MEDIA