Just Feelin' a Little Old

Nothing like your husband having a heart attack and your son graduating from high school to bring on the melancholy. Brent is getting back on his feet and starting to do more and more. He went back to work for the full day today--a big step! I told him there is no shame in taking off early if he needs to come home to rest, but he ignored me. We saw a new doctor yesterday that we liked a lot better, and he recommended a vegetarian, or at least a low fat, diet. Since my already skinny husband has dropped ten pounds in the last week, we'll go for the low fat diet. He really can't afford to lose any more weight.

The good news is that he was able to attend Dalin's graduation last Saturday. The graduation ceremony was great except for the inspirational/motivational speaker who sounded like she had just been on the net and googled "motivational phrases." It could only have been worse if she had made several grammatical errors--OH WAIT! She did! Between the grammatical blunders and cliches, it was a pretty poor speech, made entertaining only by my brother Cash offering a running critical analysis in the seat behind me. The students who spoke did fine, and my son was incredibly handsome in his cap and gown. When he walked across the stage to receive his diploma, it struck me that he and I were at one of those major life crossroads. The difference is, though, that he is excited and looking forward to a new and wonderful future, and I'm sad and looking back at a child's life that has gone by too quickly. Sigh. So indulge me a moment while I sound like that motivational speaker and say, enjoy every minute. I so wish I had enjoyed Dalin's childhood the way I am enjoying Jensen's. I wish my eldest child had come with an instruction manual that said not to worry so much about reading and writing, tantrums and sleeping all night, but rather to smile at the little lisps and backwards letters and relish the rocking all night and the little taps on the shoulder that jolt you from your sleep. Oh well. I can only learn and be thankful for the last eighteen years.

In more Gunnell news, my talented daughter Cassie found out a couple of weeks ago that she made the high school's top choir, Choral Edition. She will be a junior next year, and she also auditioned and was selected for the Actors Ensemble. I'm not sure what that means, but there are only twelve actors selected, and she was thrilled to have made it. She also placed fifth in the district in pole vault. I finally got to see her vault at the district meet, and I had to hold my breath every time! All I could see was my bird-boned daughter flying through the air at the end of a pole and picture those arms bent at angles they shouldn't be. She was ok, though. Whew.

Shaina sped her way to second place at District in the 100 and 200 meter races, and she also placed third in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump. Brent has his runner!! Since Shaina had never competed in either jumping event, she was pretty excited about those ribbons. She also found out that she gets her braces off in six weeks, three months early. It has been a good month for Shaina!

All I know is that having these big kids accomplishing all these big things makes me feel old. But old is not always a bad thing, I guess, not when it means that I have spent that last several years with a houseful of such crazy wonderful people. What a blessing!