Being Thankful in the Moment

About this time last year I started getting hints that things were not going well in Kindergarten for our daughter. It came through strange channels, and to be honest I still don't know the full story of what happened, but it wasn't good. Several meetings followed and after about a month we were back on track, though perhaps driving on the rumble strip rather than a true lane. We have noted for some time a pattern of "honeymoon periods" when she begins a new program...all the way back to early intervention days when they told me she was "just an angel" and did not see any of the behavior issues I had reported at home - that'll make you feel like a great mom (not!). At some point the honeymoon has ended and trouble begins and we have to remind everyone of what she needs. After a course correction of some weeks to months we get back on track. I have taken to warning everyone of this pattern. Last year the warning wasn't completely heeded, and this year (so far) I've been crying wolf.

We have worked really hard to make this year start off well for her. You can read previous posts about all the steps we've taken to give her the best start possible at her new school. And, so far it seems to have paid off. All credit where it is due, the school staff have really been stepping up for her. At home we have simply maintained our routines and not scheduled too much extra stuff.

It has left me in kind of a limbo, honestly. Usually by now in the school year I am scheduling meetings, firing off urgent e-mails, scrambling for ideas and trying to understand what is happening. This year I'm just enjoying the ride...with some apprehension. I like to tell people that I'm waiting for the shoe to drop and hoping it doesn't! Even if it does, it FEELS like it might not be so bad this time around. Still a piece of me hesitates even to put this out there into the ether because knocking on wood doesn't really work, if you know what I mean.

So the biggest lesson my daughter seems to be teaching me at the moment is just that. Seize the moment. Enjoy it. It may not last, but don't let the worry that it won't last be what defines it. Instead let the light and sunshine now help dispel the clouds that threaten the horizon. Just be. Just give thanks!

You can join in Thankful Thursday here!