Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Gratitude of June

I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June. - L. M. Montgomery

Seems like these lovely days of June have simply slipped away. So many things to be grateful for, these days.

  • Finding a new fabric store. http://www.thefrenchseam.com/
  • Sipping a chai while chatting away with a special friend.
  • The gallery walk in Zionsville.
  • Sitting outside at the pub with friends on a week night, laughing over a drink or two.
  • A going away party that turned into a not going away celebration.
  • The gift of flowers from a friend's garden.
  • Two graduation parties for Derrick.
  • Dinner at a friend's house for a girls night.
  • Simply having friends to do things with this summer.
  • Having time to get the house clean and keep it that way.
  • Starting to work on creative projects.
  • Staying at the Lake Cottage for the first night.

    Going to yoga classes.
  • Talking walks.
  • Writing in the mornings.
  • Loosing a few pounds.
  • A lovely date night, even if it didn't lead to anything with him. It is one more step on the journey.
  • Going to the fireworks and enjoying a friend's three year old delight at pointing out every color to me.
  • Listening to bird song.
  • Baking bread for friends.
  • Not feeling lonely for the first time during the summer as a teacher when school is out.
  • Seeing dew drops on the tip of every blade of grass on the morning lawn.
  • Making art in the mixed media group.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Graduation Day

Derrick is now a high school graduate. The rite of passage complete. Waiting to go on to his future. The big day is followed by a small gathering of out of town guests for a burrito buffet. Combined families celebrating the best of us together.

Blurry pictures seem to symbolize the blur of the years that passed so quickly. Emotion fills my soul as I think about the joys of raising a boy. Especially one so wise. Trust that the gifts he has bestowed will return to him tenfold.

How did he know where to find me in the crowd?

Proud of his accomplishment

Finding anyone in the crowd seemed miraculous. Yet, we found all the ones that count.

A group of friends together


Think the larger celebration at the lake next week will be easier than all of this.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Last Day of High School

I don't know how this has happened! My little boy has grown into a fine young man. His very last day of school. Which isn't really even school because they've taken a bus to the stadium downtown to practice for graduation tomorrow. Derrick told me last night as he was going to bed, "This is the last time I'll ever set my alarm for school."

Memories come floating by; holding him as an infant, playing as he grows, his ever present smile those first few years, his imagination, his energy. His presence in my life has actually defined my life in so many ways. Such a gift he has been to me all these years.


Loves the cottage cheese!


Tea time in his "Indiana Jones" Hat


Snuggling with Horton at bedtime


Now his official growing up days are over. He will always be a part of me, even if he isn't with me every day from this point forward.

I'm proud of the person he has become. Amazed to think that he is who he is. His goals, while not what I would have chosen for him, are honorable. He has shown great discernment in his decision making process. That is part of who he is and I can trust he will always follow a similar process, making the best decisions for him.

Today is a flurry for me, bake favorite cookies, prepare food for the party tomorrow, clean up the mess that always happens in the house at the end of a school year, try to make pretty by hanging pictures, fluffing pillows, place flowers about. I want his day tomorrow to be filled with the memory of family and friends surrounding him, knowing that support will be there for him the rest of his days.

Winter Birch

Winter Birch

Books Recently Read

  • Grace (Eventually) Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
  • Think Like a Freak by Steven Levitt
  • Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
  • The Red Tent by Anita Diamond
  • The Dinner by Herman Koch
  • The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant
  • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
  • The Lake House by Karen Morton
  • Memories of Heaven by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Whip by Karen Kondazian
  • Purity by Jonathan Franzen
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
  • The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty
  • The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker
  • The Rosie Effect by Graeme Samson
  • The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
  • My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
  • Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall
  • Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
  • I Can See Clearly Now by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • The Best Part of the Day by Sara Ban Breathnach
  • Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
  • The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
  • Chanel Bonfire by Wendy Lawless
  • The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
  • Change Your Thoughts - Change Your Life by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
  • Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris
  • Peaches for Father Francis by Joanne Harris
  • Five Quarters of the the Orange by Joanne Harris
  • Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris
  • The Girl With No Shadow by Joanne Harris
  • Chocolat by Joanne Harris
  • The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - A Novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
  • There Are No Accidents by Robert Hopcke
  • You Can Heal Your Life by Louise L. Hay
  • We Thought You Would Be Prettier by Laurie Notaro
  • The Vein of Gold by Julia Cameron
  • Room by Emma Donoghue
  • House at Riverton by Kate Morton
  • Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes
  • The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
  • Peace and Plenty by Sarah Ban Breathnach
  • The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
  • On a Day Like This by Peter Stamm
  • Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
  • Brida by Paulo Coelho
  • A Stopover in Venice by Kathryn Walker
  • Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho

Cats don't belong to people. They belong to places. - Wright Morris
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