Yesterday I had fun taking one of my incredible interns to the airport to fly back to Mississippi
for a funeral. This was her first time flying and she was a little nervous. Actually, she asked me
to walk with her to the gate. Initially, I was going to say ‘suck it up’ you can do this. Yet, I sensed
a little apprehension in her text. So, after picking her up I realized that she was going to
terminal 3 not 4. So, it wasn’t going to be possible to park the car in a faraway lot and then take
the bus back. The bottom line is that she was bold, very proud of her because she asked for
help and had a great adventure.
I was excited to see a few of our little barrio kids start school this last week. Kindergarten today
can be rather scary, first for the mom and then for the kid that is put into a totally different
environment. It was at first funny to hear that one of our kids, Johnny, was stabbed with a
pencil by another little guy. The mom had good reason to be upset. Yet, the reality is that often
her little guy has been the aggressor that could either start a fight or be quick to respond. The
good news is that he survived, and the other kid recovered from being punched.
As our tutoring program returns after a year plus absence because of COVID I’m the one who is
rather apprehensive. We aren’t able to meet in our usual community center rooms and will be
using a little church’s fellowship room. The big picture is transitioning from doing events
outside or in my house and side yard to now being ‘caged’ in a little room. I know that there are
many of our kids and teens who seriously need help with school but also many others who
come to hang out and chill.
The highlight of our personal firsts was watching our youngest grandson, Atlas, who is now 2,
while his mom and dad went on a needed vacation. There was a little concern over how he
would do without his mommy. The reality, which is great news for us, is that he LOVES his Nani
and clearly bonded over the 5 days in such a way that the absence of his parents didn’t faze him
much. Yet, I know when we left for a monthlong trip to Asia when our kids were teens it was
scary before cell phones and the internet. Yet, we had a great trip, we agreed it was too long
and our kids were thrilled to have us back because grandma was way too strict.
What is exciting for my Anne, and I is that as we confess to being seniors and old from the
perspective of many that we can still have firsts in our life. Especially as we look forward to
another phase in our personal adventure of transitioning from working fulltime to retiring, not
really to working less.