Reflections

Today I packed up the photos of Julia through the years that had graced the dining room table for the graduation party. A lifetime of memories is once again delegated to the overstuffed photo storage boxes. The completed photo album I made for her waits patiently on my desk for its last few pages to be completed, pages of pictures from the party. Tucked away in the back of the album are a trove of thoughtful cards from well-wishers. The dining room seems bare now with its stark wooden table devoid of memorabilia. The festivities are over and summer vacation has truly begun.

Vacation is actually over for the graduate. Julia began her Calculus II class yesterday. Five weeks of three hour a day class time and one hour a day math lab time, followed by three problem sets of homework per night amounting to about 3-5 hours worth of additional work. There will be a test every Monday. Then, after a short two week break she will be back at it again for her fall classes. Not much time for reflection. Time to move on, buckle down, get to work. But, while she is busy she is also happy to be back in the swing of school. The familiar glimmer is there in her observant, hazel eyes that light up with enthusiasm as she bursts through the door and recounts the events of that morning's class, the usual oddities of the professor, and the interaction with fellow math-minded students.

Vacation for me is truly just beginning. There are books to read, art work to create, movies to watch, and sleep to catch up on! Oh, and reflecting to do on the school year as well as the home school journey of a certain young lady who is no longer under my educational wing, yet flies to greater and greater heights with strong wings of her own.