Oh, my friends, it’s that time once again!
Back. To. School.
Even though I have been back on contract since mid-July, it still feels like summer break at my house. The beach towels hang from the stairwell banister, a reminder of waterpark fun and trips to the lake and pool. There’s a trail of flip flops and tennis shoes from the front door to the back and hummingbirds still swirl around the feeder on my deck. Even the cans of sunscreen are lined up on my counter, a reminder that hot, scorching days still remain.
But this past week, everything changed.
My middle child packed up all his things – including a massive 3D printer – and together with two cars in tow, we got him moved back into college to start his junior year. My youngest finally unpacked his backpack from vacation (in June!) and refilled it with binders, pencils, and paper for his sophomore year of high school. We traded afternoon ice cream walks for after-school practices and now my calendar is bursting at the seams with school, sports, and social activities once again.
Change.
For some, that word evokes a sense of renewed anticipation; for others, a sense of dread and panic. Change, even when expected, is often a bumpy road at best. When unexpected, it’s nearly paralyzing.
And yet, change is ever-present. We all go through change repeatedly and somehow make it through each time.
At work, change hit hard as I was forced to dismantle the grant-funded Innovation Lab we created six years ago so the room could be a shared space between me and our gifted and talented (GT) teacher. Ironically, when she and I started creating a professional learning session together last winter about our grant writing experiences, we could have never anticipated that months later we would have to consolidate all the items from 60+ funded grants into one space in less than a week. We got it done with the help of our new principal and several others, but WOW. That was a huge change for us both. Thankfully, we get along great, so now that we have come through on the other side, I’m excited to see how the year will unfold in our shared space.
Change stopped me in my tracks this month as we passed the two year mark of Efe’s passing (August 13). All the feelings that I shared in my post, A Season of All Things, came back full-force as I remembered the moments and memories we shared with this sweet boy. Even though our lives are moving forward with change, as are the lives of his mom and siblings, his life is forever frozen at age 18.
Last night, as I attended my son’s time trials for cross country, I realized it was the first time I’ve been back to the AHS track since the memorial candlelight service that was held in Efe’s memory back in 2022. As I watched Caleb running laps with his new team, it was like an overlay of past and present, remembering how we would cheer for our son, Daniel, and Efe in the same space.
Change can be very, very hard.
Now, as summer starts to slip away with the winds of change blowing briskly across the doorstep, I’m taking a moment to reflect. What lessons have I learned this past summer? What key things would I like to keep for this next season in my life? How can I find ways to restore through it all?
Below are three sentiments of summer that I want to continue in the weeks and months ahead. Perhaps they will inspire you as well!
Explore and Share
In June, my family of six took an incredible world-wide vacation visiting 7 countries over the course of 15 days which included a Mediterranean Disney Cruise. It was the trip of a lifetime!
This was my first time flying “over the pond” (Atlantic Ocean) and navigating countries with languages I didn’t speak. To say we learned something new every day is an understatement – it was nonstop learning everywhere we went! From using Duolingo to engage in basic conversations (cornetto is my new favorite word!) to navigating the complexities of public transportation, we immersed ourselves in local cultures and opened ourselves to embrace the unexpected.
When we returned, I wanted to share my experiences in a new way. Throughout the month of July, I made daily Facebook posts that captured my travel reflections. I chose Facebook because that social media platform allows you to include up to 80 photos in each post with more than 63,000 character count for captions. It’s a great way to share stories through photos! I’m not sure if it would qualify as “micro-blogging,” but it was a creative shift from sharing stories on my website.
By the end of July, my family and friends were encouraging my husband and I to quit our regular jobs (engineer and educator) to become a travel agent and vacation blogger, respectively. I have to admit, as much as I love serving in the public school sector, the idea of being a travel blogger is pretty exciting! All 28 posts are hyperlinked on this page – all you need is a Facebook account to see the photos and stories of our grand adventures – no need to follow me, as all posts are public!
In this next season, I’m excited to explore and share through Facebook posts, Instagram stories, and my new favorite social media platform, Threads.
Capture Meaningful Moments
If you’ve been following me for any substantial amount of time, you know that I thrive in capturing meaningful moments. While many people take photos and videos of yearly celebrations – birthdays, holidays, family events – I take it a step further. I capture the big moments AND the small moments, too. If something happens that brings a smile to my face, chances are I’m five seconds away from whipping out my phone to take a photo.
What do I take photos of? So many things! A beautiful flower whose petals have blossomed in direct sunlight. A #HiMom heart that unexpectedly appears in the sidewalk in front of me. A gift basket I’ve put together to surprise someone with kindness. I capture thousands of pictures of my kids (my favorite!) and will be the first to say, “We need a group selfie!” when surrounded by friends. I will take a photo of that incredible cajun chicken pasta dish you made for dinner then drive over to Grandpa Letter’s house to take a photo of him standing with the latest 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle he’s completed.
My children joke that when I die, they won’t even need to create a slideshow of my life, they will simply pull up my Facebook page and tell people to scroll through. (Which might the best plan of action because right now I’m struggling with photo storage space on my phone, trying to get everything backed up from Google Photos to my photo hard drive!)
People may encourage you to “Put the phone down! Live in the moment!” I’m here to remind you that for some, like me, being able to capture a photo IS living in the moment AND preserving the moment for years to come.
Remember Your Key Mottos
After Covid flipped our lives upside down in 2020, I’ve implemented three key mottos for my life moving forward:
- Boundaries are a good thing.
- Use them to preserve your time and space.
- Say “No” to say “Yes.”
- We are in control of how we spend our time. Saying “No” to some things creates space to say “Yes” to the things that truly bring joy to our souls. Don’t get trapped in the spiral of forced commitment to things you don’t enjoy.
- Show up and love others.
- I truly believe these are the only two things I need to do for my life to be complete and fulfill my purpose. I have absolutely no desire to overcomplicate things of a human nature and I refuse to be pulled down a rabbit hole of political or religious rhetoric. You need a friend? I’m there. Want to grab a bite to eat? Let’s go. Simply need a hug? My arms are ready for an embrace. If you are kind to me, I will be kind to you. I will show up and I will love you with all my heart and soul.
Our lives are inundated with seasons of change. What keeps us pushing through is dependent upon our mindset and those practices we put into place as a foundation.
I’m excited to see what the next season brings! How about you?
