This summer was full of gifts. The gift of the mundane as my children and I enjoyed some days of nothingness. The gift of new adventures as I branched out with my PD presentations and my son embarked on his college journey. The gift of sharing myself in relationships with people who never quite knew who I was and those who know me well but love me anyway. The gift of family as we gathered to celebrated birthdays or just enjoy a meal and company. The gift of a dog new to our family yet fitting in as though she was always here. The gift of a garden that actually lived. The gift of new drums and lessons begun and endless music in our home. The list goes on and on in my journal. It was a beautiful summer as I peer behind me, the terrain was mostly level with only the occasional bump of excitement, and for that alone I am truly grateful...but as I peer ahead...
…and read the comments and lamentations regarding the passing of summer, it is all too easy to believe I am about to be forced to leave behind me all that summer brought and trade those wonderful feelings for what lies ahead in the new school year. That would make me so sad! If I adopt that mindset, I will surely go into the upcoming week of school with dread and negative anticipation for all that it will not be able to bring into my life. With all the schedules and the homework and the sports, how could the upcoming school year ever measure up to summer? It can't, if I pit one against the other. But I know that mourning the loss of summer is only for those who didn't spend the past two months in growth and true happiness; the kind of happiness that seeps into the heart and comes along for the ride filling you with anticipation for what might come next. This is not a time for endings, but a time to figure out how to bring what was wonderful into the future with you!
At the end of last school year, I decided to have students address envelops to themselves so that I could send my 'end of the year' notes to them in the mail since I had run out of time to get them to the students before the close of school. All summer those envelops beckoned me from my school bag in the corner of my dining room. They were taunting me really. As the school year fell further and further behind me, I was increasingly unmotivated to write notes to students who (in my mind's rationale) surely couldn't possibly care about receiving a note from me as they enjoyed their summer. Occasionally however, I would see a student as is the blessing of living in the town in which I teach, and he/she would ask me about the letters, proving my excuses of their apathy flawed, and stirring the taunting up again. Well, this week I finally made good on my promise of letters, but with a new spin that beautifully connects last year to this one. I mailed those envelops with letters of encouragement for the upcoming school year drawing on the growth each student made last year, as well as a coupon from me giving permission for these amazing young people to remain awesome and to reach out to me with any need at all. My procrastination ended up being a powerful tool to bridge the gap between last year and this year. These notes were a way to bring a little bit of last year's awesome into the recipe that is churning for the upcoming school year. They became a way to stir up some excitement for what lies ahead. For me, mailing them has helped me to become excited to meet the new students with whom I will build relationships that will continue beyond next summer. Each experience builds on the last and carries with it a promise for the future.
And so as I peer out over the expanse of mountain before me, I don't believe I am seeing a climb or a soar in my immediate future. I see an open path; not flat, but with hills and dips that are manageable. I see beautiful beginnings and the continued joy they can bring to our lives, if we just change the perspective that "summer is over" into "what will I do with all that summer brought into my life to enhance this new beginning?". I know I plan to bring along with me the new relationships that are blooming in my life to see how they will continue to develop and help me to grow. I will continue to cherish family and old friends. I will replace my vegetables and summer flowers with mums. I will walk my dog before and after school and hear my daughter's drums as I prepare dinner for one less child, but anticipate the new growth experienced by my college student. I will not leave summer behind, I will just find a place for what it brought into my life and let it continue to shape me into all I am intended to be. Let all the joy and growth that summer brought to you continue on to bridge the gap, just as those letters will help to pull students into confidence for a successful year ahead by reminding them they are loved by someone who watched them grow last year. Seasons of life are not meant to be left behind, but to be lived and appreciated for all the ways they shape us and help us to grow.
