School Daze

Today was the last all-school assembly at AOC and I wanted to be there since every class was going to share something and I'd already missed their individual class shares earlier in the year. As we get on in this experiment called life, I realize that school assemblies are great and all, but I try to save myself for the ones that really count. And today I was glad to be there. It also came at the end of a hard week for the kids at Academy. A fifth grader died last weekend from complications from an asthma attack and it has really resonated throughout the community just how fragile life can be. Just when he should have been up there dancing and jamming with his class mates, celebrating the end of his reign at AOC, we were left with one student missing and lots of tear-stained cheeks from parents, teachers, and students alike. The counselor herself was awash in grief and I thought how hard that must be to support the kids when you yourself are dealing with such a loss. The school has already hosted a memorial service last night so today's assembly didn't mention the student by name. But when the fifth graders sang "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa, I think we all knew it had taken on new meaning for them. 

So let the light guide your way, yeah

Hold every memory as you go

And every road you take, will always lead you home, home

It's been a long day without you, my friend

And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

We've come a long way from where we began

Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again

When I see you again

I was a mess of tears as I stood there watching them sing their hearts out. Yes, this year is almost over and it ends with a bittersweet mix of euphoria and sadness. You can never start early enough talking about love and loss. Grief comes in so many stages as we make our way through life. Just recently Elisa learned that Birdie won't be returning to AOC next year. She was devastated, especially after the girls recently petitioned their teachers to be in the same class next year.  I know she will overcome it, but for now, she is a bit melancholy and that's not for me to fix. I can only say I know that she's disappointed. I would be too. So today I gave my own girls big hugs on the way out. You can never do that enough. Life has lots of twists and turns, and you just have to keep looking out for the goodness around the next bend. It's there. Right now, it's called summer.