The Start of Summer, And So Much More

Our summer officially started this week!  I have had so many things to write down, pictures
to take, memories to record.  But, I must admit, I've done a really poor job.  Because that's
not what this week was all about.  This week was for rushing home from work to join my
family for a late afternoon swim in the pool.  It was for soaking in the warm sun,
running barefoot, and spending lots and lots of time in my garden.  And every time I tried to
sit in front of my computer, I just kept glancing out the window at the beautiful weather
and my feet were up and running again.

 

Shawn returned home this week from a week long trip to his home state of Arizona.  He
was able to spend time with his family, including his father who has recently had some
health issues.  He was able to reconnect with his loved ones, many of whom he has not
seen since he was discharged from the hospital last summer.  I think that he found peace in
the desert, a sense of closure that he has been longing for.  Going back there was part of
his healing process and he returned with a new sense of purpose and inspiration.  We
missed him like crazy and anxiously awaited his return: both of the girls asking me every
single day, "How much longer until Daddy gets home?".  The poor man was barely able
to breath for the first few days he was home as there always seemed to be a girl or two or
three in his arms, breathing him in, welcoming him back.  But all that waiting and wanting
was so worth it when he sent me this photo: father and son.  The happiness the two of them
felt being together again, it was palpable through the screen.  I was so happy for my soul
one, happy that he was happy.  That's what love is all about, after all.

Isabelle completed the third grade this week!  She worked so very hard this year: attending
a new school, making new friends, mastering new skills.  She was awarded the "Effort"
award, something I felt so proud for.  Because she did, in fact, put in a tremendous amount
of effort and she earned the grades to prove it.  She earned mastery levels on all her
reading exams, a subject she used to struggle with.  And she improved in all of her math
scores thanks to many long night at the kitchen table, studying with Shawn or myself or
her tutor.  Isabelle is the kind of kid who wants to succeed and will work as hard as it takes
to do so.  She is very aware that, with her diagnosis of ADD, she will most likely always have
to try a little harder than the next kid but she has accepted and embraced that truth.  And
I truly believe that she knows and appreciates how much her parents are rooting her on,
how hard we will work to help her reach her goals.   It is our mission as her parents to
empower her, to encourage a positive and strong sense of self, to instill the value of hard
work and determination in our daughter.  And with each passing school year, we all grow just
a little bit stronger, a little bit smarter, and a lot more patient and grateful.  Learning is truly
a lifelong process in every way.  On to a fun filled summer with our soon to be fourth grader!