Stained-glass windows

Mom was being difficult -- which is a little like saying fish swim in water -- and decided she didn't want to go to the butterfly conser- vatory.

B.J. wanted to go, and I of course wanted her to feel as if this was her vacation, not just another part of her job.

So she and I went.

And wept, as the early risers fluttered about us in iridescent blues, greens, reds and oranges.

There are precious few religious experiences in my life, but this was one of them.