60 Feet 6 Inches To Home

This week we began our 8th and final season of high school baseball. As I added games to the already busy schedule the reality set in that this Spring will be a whole season of lasts. We have been here before with our older son, so you would think we would be better prepared this time around. I guess in some ways we are, but for all the ways this road seems familiar the journey down it has been different in many ways. This picture show their differences well! Academically: Our oldest son Kellan, loved school. He was a good student, took challenging courses and enjoyed most of them. He met the expectations of his teachers, the system and environment in general. Owen is extremely smart and curious. He loves to learn and is self motivated to do so when something grabs his interest. The classroom however, has not always been the best fit for him which has created challenges we did not expect. Activities: For Kellan the focus in high school was simple. Baseball was and stil...

According the an article in the Washington Post, historians from the Plymouth Plantation , a living museum in Plymouth, Mass., believe that the first Thanksgiving feast was shared by the colonists and Wampanoag Indians. Basically, these people where strangers and Squanto, who had learned English, served as a translator or moderator between them.  Sadly,  I suspect this scenario is still being played out around tables all over the country today.   Families can be tricky and holidays have a way of bringing out the best and worst in them. Each person comes to the table, literally, with their own experiences, memories and perceptions. How one person sees their history, current place and situation in the family may drastically differ from the person sitting next to them. Being together may bring to the surface hard feelings and old wounds left unsettled.  Communication may seem forced to the point that you wish there was a Squanto in the group.  ...

Three years ago as our sons both began their Freshman year, the oldest in college and the youngest in high school, I wrote about what I hoped this next chapter of life would hold for them. Recently I went back and read those posts, reflecting on how far they've come and what we all have learned along the way. Time has gone by quickly, they are now Seniors. Some of what I wrote in the earlier posts have changed, but so much of it has stayed the same. In a The Tale of Two Freshman-Part 1, I wrote this about Owen. "He is smart, inquisitive, creative, interesting, athletic, relational, kind hearted, witty and full of personality. Unfortunately most of those qualities are not things that are given a grade or a test score. He has a big voice, which can be a negative when talking in class, but when he sings it is a huge asset. He is a people person and can hold a conversation people of with all ages. We know that all of these things will serve him well in life even if the...

By no means do I pretend to be a parenting expert, but I have had the unique opportunity to observe a variety of parenting styles from two perspectives. First as a parent and secondly as a school secretary. In both settings I have seen the helicopters, drill sergeants, and consultants that I read about years ago in Parenting With Love and Logic . I have encountered Tiger Mothers , Queens Bees ,   Masterminds  and pushovers. Truth be told I have recognized a few of these in myself during my 20 plus years as a mom. Recently I have seen a new type of parent emerging. I have coined them "Snow Plow Parents". These parents work hard to clear a path for their children free of anything that could cause them any hardship or disappointment.  This usually includes all aspects of their lives from schoolwork and grades, extra curricular activities and sports to even their relationships with friends, classmates and teachers.  All of these parents love their children and b...

Working for a school district, I get big blocks of time off several times through out the year.  Spring break, Thanksgiving, Christmas and about five weeks in the summer. I always have big plans to get a lot of things done during those times. My ambitions are high and my to-do lists are long. I tell myself that I should use this time to be productive.   Christmas Eve Church Service 2016 Yet here I sit, once again, at the end of my time off having gotten very few tasks completed. Generally I would be bothered by that. I would feel as if I had wasted an opportunity to get the house in better order, mop the floors, purge the boys closets, shred old paperwork or numerous other projects that always reappear on my lists. For some reason this time I am fine with it. Christmas 2016 As I think about what I did do with my time I realized that I was productive. Maybe not in the way I had originally set out to be, but that's okay. I was able to do the job I love the most,...

Growing up as a very quiet and shy person, conversations were difficult for me. I was perfectly content to let my twin sister do the talking for both of us. We even developed our own language that not even our mother understood. In first grade we were placed in separate classes. Up to that time I didn't  need  to be comfortable speaking to people, my sister was always with me. The adjustment of being on my own in school was not an easy, but I needed it to happen. I learned to manage, but confidence in my communication skills were slow to come. Since spoken words were hard, I realized at a young age how powerful and useful written words could be. Great quotes, touching essays and well written song lyrics intrigued me. In high school I began writing poetry. I wrote about my life and the people in it. I wrote letters too, most of which were never mailed. Even if I was the only one who read them, they were a form of communication for me. I still have a notebook full of...

Every year since I started this blog I have written a post at the beginning of the school year.  The first as Kellan left for college and Owen started high school. This was one of the biggest transitions our family has ever made, and it was difficult. The second seemed more familiar, not quiet comfortable yet, but easier than the year before. Now for the third time we find ourselves here once again. Kellan spent the summer at home, opting not to play any baseball. Instead he returned to his job with the parks department and worked out with a trainer improving his speed and agility.  Owen on the other hand played a lot of baseball, traveling almost every weekend. Despite the busy schedules, we managed to spend a lot of time as a family, including a week long tournament in Nashville. We did not take that time for granted. Our family at the Grand Ole'Opry We loved having everyone home for the summer, but as the time approached for school to start I was concer...