Summer is Coming

May is upon us once more. And I know it's not our first May together, but it feels like some kind of first. Not my first Mothers' Day this year, but the first one that you could call me "Momma." Not the first time approaching a summer with my Lolabug, but I feel it coming more this time.

And it's a good feeling.

Last year, I was teaching as summer approached, but I only went back to work for almost 6 weeks. And you had only been with us since January. Certainly, I was glad for summer then, too.

But now, we have made it through almost a full school year as a family -- you figuring out daycare, me trying to find balance between work and family time, and Daddy dealing with the both of us. (hee, hee)

It's been a good year. If we measure by the leaps of your school year, its been an amazing year.  To think, last August, you were just learning to discover your world, still a little one that didn't move from where we put her.  Learning to use your hands and sit for short bursts was all the rage at the time.

And now, you're a little person, a kid, barely a baby and yet still my baby. You're standing and walking more and more, seeking us out more and more.  You love to dance, and it's this funny wide stance, head bopping sort of dance.  Your most endearing new habit is backing up, bottom in the air, to sit in my lap to watch your PraiseBaby DVD.  You love to squeal, and if we squeal back, you laugh and laugh.  You have learned to hug -- really hug -- and we are both a little caught up in joy every time you squeeze one of us.  You love your books, which makes my English teacher heart so happy.  Watching you play with your books makes me long even more for summer -- for stories and trips to the library for toddler time. 

I think about you at surprising times as summer draws nearer. Today, one of my sweetest students said goodbye to me after two years. She was with me during our pregnancy, and I was lucky to get her back this year. She wanted to pay me a compliment -- as I said, sweetest students -- and she told me she would miss me and that she thinks I'm a really good teacher, and then she burst into tears. As I gave her a hug and told her I love who she is, I thought of you.  As happy as I am that I had the chance to teach this sweet young lady and mean something to her, our goodbye made me think about how much I hope to mean to you -- and how much you already mean to me.

As I close out this school year, I came across a poem with such a lovely thought, a thought I hope I can hold close all summer long: "God's gifts are measureless, and there shall be / Eternal summer in the grateful heart." (Celia Thaxter).  As I look forward to a summer of ordinary days, a reprieve from our more formal schedules, I know that we may have moments of feeling tired of each other and tired of ourselves.  But a summer of ordinary days is a blessing, and I hope I can help us both to cultivate thankfulness.

Because there's an awful lot to feel thankful for, don't you think?

'Til next time, Love to my Lorelai