Another birthday

Today he is 17. It's the last birthday he will celebrate before he graduates from high school. Most parents get to celebrate the 18th birthday during senior year. Maybe I should have held him back since he has a late birthday. He was only 4 when he started kindergarten and I agonized, yes agonized whether he should be off to school at such and early age. When we moved to Virginia, we thought about having him repeat kindergarten. If we had, he would have one more year at home, to celebrate one more birthday.

Senior year has started although school hasn't. Band camp is in full swing. Last week they marched from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This week they march from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. Hats, sunscreen and water are the a necessity in the south eastern Virginia heat. I enjoy arriving a little early to listen to their progress each day. They sound great and look disciplined and put together. Of course I have no idea how Ryan sounds. He's just a small part of the whole. But as he marches with perfect posture head tilted back, trumpet on his lips, playing so everyone can hear, I stand taller too.

The beginning of 2011 / 2012 school year.

Back in 2008 I thought I might have what it takes to start a blog. That didn't last long. I started reading the blogs of others and quickly ascertained that I most definitely did not "have what it takes" and although I had designed the blog I left it alone, abandoned it. In fact I forgot about it until my oldest son started writing down his thoughts to share with the world. That's when I started thinking about it again...

Although I used to enjoy writing and maybe even was good at it, I'm completely out of practice. I have gained one thing since 2008: age. With age comes the ability to not worry so much over what others think and to act simply because it's satisfying to oneself. I set out on this journey, not for anyone else or even because I think I have any talent, but because I have a new motivation. My older son Ryan is starting his senior year in high school in a few short weeks and I have so much emotion wrapped up in everything associated with this year, that it seems appropriate that I might put "pen to paper" and work through all that I am feeling.