Thank You, Dear Teacher

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Thank you, dear teacher.

After months of cold days, suddenly, it’s warm out and when I picked up my son from school yesterday, his blonde temples glistened under the sweat that was forming on his brow.  It’s always startling to me, really—those temples that are still so very white blonde, only revealed from a short summer cut—since the rest of his head is darkening now that he’s getting older.  Where did all that blonde hair go?

You were at the door like you always are, morning and afternoon, with the line of students behind you, waiting for parents to fetch them.  It’s always a picture I look forward to seeing—the happy kids, children I’ve come to know,  at the end of the day—and my son often stops to hug you before running to hug me.  That’s the way it is now, sometimes.  You’re the first to get the hug before he skips down the walk to throw his ever-growing arms around my waist.   How did his arms get so long?

A year has ended; hair has gotten darker; arms have gotten longer, as they’ve reached for the sky.  We parents have watched it all happen right before our very eyes, marveling at how fast time passes.  As a chapter closes for them and for you, I want to thank you on behalf of all parents.Continue Reading

Together in Friendship

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Last Thursday, my son’s baseball game didn’t go the way he wanted and this is a picture his friend, a natural athlete, drew him afterwards to cheer him up.

Every time I look at this photo, my eyes fill with tears of gratitude.  At the end of the day, we all want our children to have one, good friend to whom they can turn.  We want them to have friends who see them at their best and cheer them on but who also watch them as they fail and fall but who extend the hand and love them anyway.

We want our children to have friends who celebrate their strengths and rally behind them as they step out of their comfort zone as they literally (or figuratively) step up to bat.  They give them the confidence and encouragement to try something new because they know someone on the bench has their back.Continue Reading

It Will Be An Adventure

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It will be an adventure.”

These are the words I’ve been saying and/or thinking at least 25 times a day.

A few days ago, we accepted an offer on our house and the “sale pending” sign took its place out front.

For those new here to my page, last month, we decided to sell our old and beloved house in a small town in order to chase our dream of returning to a country setting. We grew up very rurally and after years of thinking we wanted something different, our kids have reminded us of the life we really want to live.  Our house sold quickly (more quickly than we had imagined) and here we are:  setting off on another adventure.

This will be the 7th move in 14 years of marriage; we moved with the military and then in other pursuits of our dreams and goals. And, here we go, again. Continue Reading

We All Just Want To Be Noticed

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I’ve been back to teaching for a few days after a long winter break, but I’m reflecting back on the last day I was on campus before the break and a conversation I had with my son.

A few weeks ago, while I was getting my son ready for bed, he said something to me that has caused me to reflect, as he often does.  We were talking about the highs and lows of our days:  I talked to him about my writing and a recent rejection by a major newspaper I had my sights on, and he explained to me his Lego creation.   Sometimes, I find that I talk to him like I would an old friend.  For six, he’s an old soul and while he can be silly and sometimes even incorrigible, he often takes the time to listen to me.  And somehow, he understands me.  As we were talking, he looked up at me, put his hands on my face, and said, “Mama, I think you just want to be noticed.”  I just stared into his eyes, and I said, “Yes, I think you’re right.”  And he said, “Well, I think we all want to be noticed.”  I hadn’t thought of it like that, really, but don’t we all want to be noticed?  Don’t we all want someone to take the time actually to see us?Continue Reading