sketches of my day May 2008 - Nov 2010

August 5, 2008

Sacrifices

I just brought the last clothesline full of summer clothes inside. School starts for me tomorrow and there will be less time to hang clothes in the early morning when the lines are still drenched with dew and the grass gets my shoes soggy and sometimes the night sounds can still be heard coming from the woods. There will be less time to peel and preserve my remaining pear crop and keep my garden tidy and my chicken coops full with grass clippings and vegetable peels. When school starts my summertime life ends and my j-o-b begins. I will miss the leisurely mornings of piddling in my garden and sitting at my easel with the intent and the time to paint and afternoons of pecking at my keyboard and sorting through my house and paying more attention to my thoughts. The Strawberry Moon in June has passed and the Thunder Moon in July has shown and will not be full again till the 16th of August. By then I will have long ago left summer behind and will be looking forward towards fall and cooler breezes and falling leaves. I will also, soon after the abruptness of those beginning days, be happy to be in school.

I am so fortunate, thanks to my dad’s persuasion, to have chosen a job of service; it is very fulfilling and easy to love. I am also fortunate to be along side of our youth, for they give me insight into the future and keep me current with my own children. Most of all, I am happy to fulfill at least one dream my mother had for me, education. She was born in 1932 and was a child during the Great Depression, when education was a luxury and  "just surviving " was the norm. Because of those days and those intense hardships, she placed much importance on education. For her, it was the (pseudo)assurance of security. As a matter of fact, she paid for most of my college education by working as a paraprofessional at the same high school where I now teach. Some days, when I am having an “off” day, I walk down the halls there and think of her courage and the commitment  she made to make my life better and I feel peace and continue my day with humility and thankfulness. I did not mean to “go on” about my mother, but it is so easy to do and it felt wonderful to speak of her, thanks for listening. You can probably guess; I had an amazing mother. I hope you found some connection and inspiration with this little happenstance story that I have decided to post.

It is late and it is over; school year 2008-2009 will begin in 8 hours.
Till next time,
p.s.