“Hold with both hands…each precious, glittering moment of your life.”
This week we experienced one of life’s milestones - the high school graduation of our only child. Michael’s life has been momentous from the beginning. He was the product of a difficult, health-challenging pregnancy that was supported through knowledgeable medical staff and loving family and friends.
All along Michael’s journey I have received help from a wide variety of people and resources - wonderful pediatricians, guidance counselors, the Birth to Three program, daycare providers, teachers from preschool through high school - all providing me with help along the way.
And then there were the many family and friends, giving their time, advice and love for the past 18 years. Our son’s graduation party brought some of those people back into my life and reminded me of how fortunate I am to have them in my life.
Today I also missed those who have gone before me and I use this newsletter as a way to honor them by not only reflecting on the importance of their relationships to both myself and our son but also as an opportunity to promote the power of love and kindness which were attributes of all of them, each in their own unique way.
This past week also saw our local community go through the loss of two young high school students lives - victims of a car accident, with two additional students still hospitalized from their injuries.
As I went through the process this week of celebrating our son and his accomplishments, I also did take time to think about how those families and their lives were forever altered and how blessed each one of us are for every moment we live.
I kept my emotions in check this week and I was proud of myself for that. But at the end of the evening, as Michael and I went through his gifts, I could tell how touched he was by each card and gift and the thoughtfulness behind them. We only had gotten through opening about half of them when we decided to finish up opening the rest in the morning, when we would be more refreshed (party planning is quite the experience!)
Michael then went to text a thank you for one of the gifts and he had me read it before he sent it. I was blown away by not only his writing but also the emotions and the beauty behind his words. It was a moment that reminded me what a wonderful young man he has grown up to become and how very blessed I am to be his mother.
I ended the evening sitting outside listening to the sounds of a cardinal chirping in a persistent yet reassuring way…The cardinal was a favorite of my mother and her absence was very noticeable today. But the gentle bird call was a sign and a symbol of the connection with the past and those whose love lives on in each and every precious, glittering moment of life. How fitting…how very fitting…
This week’s Smile Video
Jake Thibeault was paralyzed during a hockey game and was told that he would likely never walk again. But he vowed that he would walk across the stage at his high school graduation. Steve Hartman has his story.
#believe #stevehartman #smilevideos
What I am reading…
This week I was searching to read something that would make me think and also be comforting. Sometimes I find it enjoyable to read what I consider more challenging books - books that I find myself reading slowly and with intention. I came across the book A Year with C.S. Lewis.
Amazon describes it as follows: “The daily meditations have been culled from Lewis’ celebrated signature classics: Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, and A Grief Observed, as well as from the distinguished works The Weight of Glory and The Abolition of Man. Ruminating on such themes as the nature of love, the existence of miracles, overcoming a devastating loss, and discovering a profound Christian faith, A Year with C.S. Lewis offers unflinchingly honest insight for each day of the year.”
Perhaps even more intriguing was the “bookmark” I found inside of it. It was a birthday card from fifteen years ago from my sister Carol. I used the quote on the card for my essay this week.
Books are truly the gifts that keep on giving. I was meant to pull out this book at this time in my life for a reason. Having read A Grief Observed by C.S. Lewis last year, I know the power of his writing and look forward to reconnecting to it once again.
Looking Back to another Milestone
As Michael graduated, I thought about my own graduation from college in 1992. I was fortunate enough to have my poem published in my graduation program at UW-Superior. Here it is:
A Moment in Time
by Sheila Connors, Class of ‘92
Commence
to enter upon: see begin
Music begins. All in rows.
March. Sit. Listen. Daydream.
Many names.
My name.
I walk to the stage.
One foot in
Front of the
Other.
Covered with the badges of
Intellect.
Firmly shake hands.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
Smile, come on, smile.
I walk off the stage. Every step
Represents each semester, every test,
Every paper, every lecture…
One foot in
Front of the
Other.
Face the crowd.
I smile and nod at strangers I
Will never see again.
Tears fill my eyes…One escapes
Down my cheek…
“Is this the end or…”
Commence
1. to enter upon: see begin
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
This month I would like to share information regarding mental health awareness.
Gratitude Journaling is a simple exercise that anyone can do. It aims to help people identify the good things in their lives, however small. Over time, along with other strategies, it can change the way we think and feel for the better.
This week’s TED Talk - The Power of Choosing Gratitude
I have watched TED Talks for many years now. I love the wide variety of experiences and opinions TED Talks offer. Here is one I would like to share for this week:
Every day, we are faced with a choice on how to live out each moment. Choosing gratefulness has the capacity to alter the trajectory of our lives. This can lead us to mental breakthroughs, bring joy, and triumph over our anxiety and depression - we are verified by it.
Tye Dutcheran is an amputee that lost his right foot in a traumatic accident at a young age, and has overcome a great deal to get to where he is today. His goal is to continually serve, encourage, and inspire others through his life. As he says himself, “In short, if I can inspire at least one person, then I know I have achieved success.”
Music Moment
One of my friends shared this beautiful song on Facebook - as she said so eloquently - “A reminder to take a moment just to breathe and count the blessings in your life. God is good. Even in unspeakable moments of heartbreak, God is with us.”
Quote of the week
Until next week. Please remember…Begin and end each day with a grateful heart…and always, always be kind….