Reflecting on a Good Day

I am an optimist. I see the negative, I deal with the negative, but I do not let the negative - at least in most intances - bog me down and break my spirit. As I see it, my life has always worked out, so why shouldn't I be an optimist?

Today was one of those days where I realized how much I love my job. Seriously - I LOVE my job. The pace of the day was a bit frenetic, and I had a million things I had to do; I did not get all one million done. But, what did get done made my heart happy. As I have mentioned before, I am the director of a program for students with significant learning differences - bright kids who struggle in a traditional classroom for a wide variety of reasons. Today we had our first official faculty meeting. I say official because my core full time staff works all summer and we talk and collaborate every day, so we have very few "official" meetings. But we have several new part time folks because our program is expanding. I feel so honored to work with the incredible group of people that teach these kids every day. They are SMART, kid-centered, innovative, hard working and fun. They are true team players who have the best interests of kids at heart. They are self-less and tireless and I respect each and every one. We laugh a lot - it is an easy trust that has grown among us, and for that I am grateful.

But today was about the families we help. I had two different parents cry tears of joy in my office as we determined how exactly we could help their children. Is there any greater reward than looking into the eyes of a parent who feels like they have finally found an answer to one of their prayers? When they say with gratitude that we have changed the course of their child's life forever? Really, this is my JOB. How cool is that????

So, anyway, I was up most of the night - which is rare for me. I am a "gifted" sleeper!!! But I think the day was so busy that I just couldn't process it all and needed to work through it on a subconscious level. Today is another busy morning, then I take the field hockey team to a tournament overnight. I have great girls, and we plan to play laser tag after the game, so it will be a lot of fun. Again - my job. HA!

We are now number 2 on the adoption list. MAYBE we will get the call soooooooooooon!!!!!!!

True Friends

So, I have been meaning to catch up on blogging for a week, but this past week was rather chaotic. Last week I had the pleasure of spending 4 nights with my childhood/high school best friends. It was so much fun! The quaint Cape Cod landscape added to the enjoyment, but the company was unbeatable. I really don't think I have laughed that much in a long time. There was a certain luxury in being without children for several days; it allowed for no schedule, no time lines, and no stress. We ate breakfast on the deck at 10 AM in our PJ'S! What is better? But what I enjoyed most was that a single word or phrase could spark a stream of vivid memories that had buried themselves into the deep recesses of my mind. Moments from 20 years ago were a clear as if they were weeks ago. This provided much amusement.

I am fortunate to have 4 incredible friends - each so very different, yet wonderful. Sometimes I wonder if our differences are what make us so close; do we seek in each other what is missing in ourselves? I know I admire Holly's unabashed individuality, Melanie's serenity, Alyssa's compassion and Kim's genuine likability. We each bring to the friendship something unique - we each embrace each other wholeheartedly, flaws and all. Our differences are just facts, not worthy of examination or judgement. There are not many places in life that we can exist free from the fear of judgement, which is sad. But for 5 days on the Cape, we erased time and remembered how important our connection is. Thanks to my wonderful husband for helping to make it all happen. Girls - I already miss you. :)