transitions

This blog world is strange.

It changes.

I change.

It is a reflection...maybe sometimes

an imagining...

at best 

a glimpse

of one's life.

Like a photograph

that shows the smiles

without the tears.

Those rare occasions that 

we get up-close and personal

and really see inside...

rare in this world

of blogging.

Rare. (period).

Segue...

It's hard to imagine

how my babies

got so big

and yet

there I was right along with them

growing and changing.

When I visited FIMBY

this morning 

Renee
(so you can blame her for this post)

discussed the changes happening

in her homeschool routine.

She is riding the wave

and going with the flow.

I know that wave.
I surf that wave.

The waters can be rough...

with doubt

fear

uncertainty

and like a surrender

you find ways to navigate

until the calm returns.

Times like

illness

when most kids were in school

and mine were in and out of

hospitals

rehab centers

hospice facilities.

Making changes to our

"routine"

as our life demanded.

Funny...

every year seemed to bring

its challenges.

Every year

my boys learned and grew

in astounding ways.

Maybe not with the typical

A+ in Science 

BUT

with immeasurable life experiences.

Oh...

and those are the true
 benchmarks.

They aren't memorizing

facts and dates

to ace an exam...

they are observing

processing

evolving.

Constantly learning.

This isn't meant to be a

condemnation of the public school system.

My older two graduated from 

that system
and they are fine young men
who contribute to society.
(If that is the gauge to measure by)

Instead
 I hope to

show others who are taking this path

that it will be 

alright.

We need to support each other 

during the highs

and 

lows

of the ride.

Because life

 isn't a competition.

We are better

than that.

As my boys transitioned through

elementary...intermediate...to high school

courses changed

interests changed

styles changed...

 we changed.

By constantly adapting

being a chameleon

to our needs
we grew
together.

This process is
and has been
amazing.
Like the proverbial
light bulb
I now realize fully that
they were molding me
as much as I was molding them.

A give and take.
A take and give.

A little thing we call...
lifelong learning.