Endings

Today is our last day of school. I know I never wrote about March, April, or May. I wish I did. But for today, I want to write about today.

Braylen is in his last day as a sophomore in high school. Our city is building a new high school, and when he returns as a junior, it will be in a brand new building, in a different part of town. It will be wonderful, I'm sure. But we have so many memories in this old high school. Derek and his siblings went there. Derek worked there for 7 years as the SRO. (Those were some challenging, yet fulfilling, years!) Braylen entered those doors as a brand new freshman, and exits them as our son who is exactly halfway through his high school years. It's surreal to think this is it for the good old KHS. Braylen's grown up so much in 2 years, with his 16th birthday being the dividing line between young son and young man. There's a definite distinction of dependence and independence around that time of his life. It took me a few months to adjust, and who am I kidding? I'm still adjusting to it.

Kaleb quietly zoomed through 3 years of middle school. How on earth? While I've been so enamored with Braylen's firsts and Aaron's lasts, Kaleb was living his present. Did I miss it? Was I present with him in his present? I hope so. He's excelled academically, no questions there. He's a friend to all, which has its blessings, but can sometimes be a lonely place to be. He's endured some hurts with friendships that I wish I could take away, but for whatever reasons, these experiences passed through God's hands and are shaping Kaleb's character. I'm so infinitely proud of Kaleb, I feel like I could just burst. He'll walk out of his middle school for the last time today, and begin his summer as an incoming high school freshman.

And then there's Aaron. I could write for hours about our elementary years. Oh, how I've loved them so. Aaron's first year in that school was the only year I had all 3 of my boys together in one building. It truly was a golden year for me as their mother. What a memorable kindergarten year Aaron had! Derek and I watched him swing on the swings at his 3:00 recess, and linger a little longer than most parents, because we knew this was our last one. I remember it like it was yesterday. And then...1st grade shocked us all with the hardest year ever--Aaron's seizure year. When I think of his 1st grade teacher, I think of the many times she reported to me how Aaron did each day--when he blanked out, when he lost his place reading aloud, when he struggled to learn the moves to his music program because his seizures kept making him lose his place, when he needed me to come and bring him a change of clothes. My heart broke for him as he struggled to adjust to countless medication changes and side effects and on and on it went. But his teacher was so patient, tender, and kind. Aaron's class was her first class, as she was a brand new teacher. And yet, she blessed me in ways she'll probably never know.

Thankfully, the rest of Aaron's elementary years were better. The seizures went away, his grades and test scores soared, and time flew by. I loved walking with him through each grade level, knowing this was our last time. With each class project, I remembered what his brothers did. And I loved watching Aaron do it his way. I said yes as often as I could, spent as much time at the school as I could. This was my last chance to soak up these years as a mom with a son in elementary school, and I wanted to have no regrets.

So here we are, saying goodbye to three schools today. So much is ending. Every year, on the last day of school, I pick out a song for the summer. I play it in the van when I pick the kids up. It's always a fun, upbeat song, because school's out and it's time to party!!! This year I picked, "God is on the Move" by 7th Time Down.

Here's to all of today's endings, and all the beginnings that lie ahead--God is on the move!!!

Aaron & Mr. Seeba

Aaron and his best buddies

They're all wearing their 5th grade shirts! :)

The real boys

Last day of 10th grade

Last day of 5th & 8th grades

The last award at a Meadowlark assembly