It has been over a year since I last wrote something. I have
decided to pick it back up not only for my love of writing, but documenting
this next leg of our journey as Eboni, Dakarai and Jazmyn become young adults.
They are now 14, 13 and 12. Eboni is
more than half-way through her freshman year of high school and I am once again
realizing how quickly time is passing by.
Many of you know that I am not this overwhelmingly sentimental person.
In fact I have down-sized our house in preparation for them all going away to
college. But I have to admit, as much as I loved the baby years, I am really
looking for to these next few years as they continue to blossom. If you know
their father and I, you can imagine that yes, each one is strong willed,
stubborn and opinionated. Yet, each has a heart with their own special causes
they believe in. While the sibling bickering drives me up a freakin’ wall,
there is nothing like the laughter, the pranks, the jokes, the debates, time
together.
I work at a high school and I know that God placed me here
for a reason. Not only to do the work I do, but to be near and share this
experience with my kids. Initially if it were left up to them, I don’t think
any of them would have chosen to go to high school where their mother works.
However, Eboni has proven that it is not such a bad deal. I remember going down
the hallway and someone saying “mommie” repeatedly…Oh wow…she’s talking to
me! She likes the school and enjoys her
perks. She gets to leave her crap in my office, miss homeroom without being penalized
(those who know me understand this is my fault) as well as coming to get money although
I have forgotten to give her lunch money a couple of times and left the
building.
There are days that I wonder what self-destructive
punishment drug I continue to take as I work full-time, am pursuing my
doctorate and try to make sure that I am present for almost every
extra-curricular activity. This was the first year that all 3 played a sport
with at least 2 playing at the same time. This past winter there were at least
3 basketball games a week. The responsibility was divided between myself, their
dad and his mother. There are so many days where I feel I can’t catch my breath
but I don’t know that I would change it.
In many ways blogging will be good therapy for me. It will
be good history tracker but more importantly it will be a journaling memoir. At
the beginning of the school year Eboni asked me to write a letter that would be
given to her to read her senior year. I
started it but I am not sealing it. It will be an ongoing letter to her as I
talk about the journey of being her mom over the next 4 years. I plan to do
this for the other 2 also. It starts:
Eboni as I sit her writing this to you I can’t believe that wide-eyed baby I
held in my arms for the first time 14 years ago is now a high school student.
What a beautiful young lady you are both inside and out. Sometimes I am in awe
of how much God loved me to have entrusted 3 of his angels to me to steward. I
love the way your smile lights up your face (you get that from me btw…lol) and how
you are so eager to learn things. Plus you are so much more timely and organized
than your mother. Anway…from day one there are so many hopes and dreams that a
parent has for his/her children. While I do have those, it is not about living my
dreams for you. As you continue to grow into a young adult, it’s about watching
you dream and guiding you to full those dreams…
