once, when i was a teenager, my father and i were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.
this family made a big impression on me. there were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. you could tell they didn't have a lot of money.
their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean. the children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. they were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, elephants, and other acts they would see that night.
one could sense they had never been to the circus before. it promised to be a highlight of their young lives. the father and mother were at the head of the pack, standing proud as could be.
the mother was holding her husband's hand, looking up at him as if to say, "you're my knight in shining armor.