Kind of a big weekend

 

Early May is not unlike Early April...a blur of important days.  Anniversaries, Mother's day, and Ella's Birthday.  She hit a bit one, and it is now a little harder to pretend she isn't careening into adulthood.  We weren't with her, but she still spent it with family and met Bob/Nancy at the Joint for a beer, she continued with the mythology that it was her first time there although the bar tender kept calling her out on her BS to the delight of all that were there. With her year wrapped up she loaded up her car and head off to summer to work at a Camp that hosts campers with revolving disabilities.  Putting goodness back into the world.  Grace was playing LaX in MKE and Amy went to cheer her one, while I helped Sophia move out of her apartment in preparation for her graduation.  Hauled a trailer load of stuff back to GB.  This fall we will haul another trailer of different stuff back to set Merrick up in his dorm...ah the wheels of time.  Sophia's graduation and walking the stage was an emotional event and struck me more than I had anticipated.  She was home for only a day before she started her job in town.  Following her heart and helping others where she can. It is these milestones and rites of passage all coming so quickly together. The next day it was a different stage, different kid and all the same emotions.  Grace was inducted into the National Honor Society, complete with one of her friends reading Grace's bio with heartfelt warmth and talking about her volunteer service.  It is emotional to sit in the seats and watch others talk highly of your kids. It seems the kids are more accustomed to doing good things.  Both Merrick and Grace turned down invites to a school award ceremony and picked up their letters and accolades a few days ago without the pomp and circumstance. Grace showed us her big letter for academic performance, we asked Merrick about his.  He replied, "Yea, I got one for academics too, it looks the same as the one I got last time for volunteering."  They all are putting good into the world in so many different ways, but each way is inspirational to me.