Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Endings and New Beginnings ...


The end of the school year is fast approaching with concerts and recitals, field trips and tests galore.  Students and teachers are scurrying to finish up end of the year projects and preparing for exams, while parents are consumed with sack lunch requests, field trip forms and last minute calendar changes...    Students are cleaning out classrooms and de-cluttering desks and backpacks.  Each student has accumulated memorable experiences, friendships and knowledge that will not be forgotten ...  cherished moments caught on camera, in essay, poem and report card.  At the same time, each student is looking forward to summer and a time to step back and enjoy some leisure time in the sun.  Soon time will bring them back around to return again in the fall with brand new notebooks, freshly sharpened pencils, and uncluttered desks and minds … ready to start a new school year.    Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of life could be like a school year … with time to finish up all projects and clean out cobwebs and clutter from our lives and our minds to start with a fresh slate with the next coming season …

I think today of graduating seniors … my children have not reached this part of life yet … and I hope the next few years go by in slow motion!  I know that many seniors are feeling bittersweet these last few weeks as they are finishing a wonderful chapter in their lives … while also getting ready to write a whole new novel as they embark on bright futures.  I recall my own high school graduation and I have many fond memories of that time of my life.  Those memories helped make me who I am today.  But wonderful as those memories are, I would not want to step back in time for I have had many new beginnings since then … I met my husband just weeks after graduation and we went on to be married and have two wonderful children!  And I continue to anticipate new endeavors  on the horizon.  

With thoughts of graduating seniors, special memories and new beginnings …

This week, a well deserving Decorah High School graduate will be receiving the Adam J. Bohr Memorial Scholarship and another deserving North Liberty student will be receiving one as well.  As my family and I attempt to clear some of the cobwebs of grief from our hearts, we cling to cherished memories and recall many ways that my brother, Adam, enriched our lives.  It is comforting to know that Adam’s spirit will continue to enrich the lives of others as his memory lives on in graduating seniors each year as they embark on their own new beginnings with endless possibilities …    

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