The Sounds of Silence

Helen Keller once wrote that everything has its wonders…even darkness and silence!

It is 6:15 Saturday morning…I have always been a morning person. The older I get the harder it is to get up at dawns first light and stay at full speed until late in the evening, but there is something charming about the silent sounds of morning.

I have three “puppies.” Granted, two of them are six and the other is five years old, but they are lovingly referred to as the “babies.”

Listening to them sleep is funny…they sigh, grunt and coo. Their ears flap and they snipe at each other when one gets too close to the others zone…

I always wanted more kids. I have one – my soon to be 23 year old bouncing baby boy!  We have an interesting bond…it isn’t Hamlet-Gertrud weird, but, as my husband is fond of pointing out,  AJ & I speak a shorthand that has developed over years of  being…just us!  Hubby was an MP for 23 years…he was gone – a lot!

Anyway – I think I became a teacher because I wanted more kids. I am after all, Catholic…. I didn’t have my first one until I was 28…we tried a few times, but between the Army and my body, it never seemed like the right time….

 A very wise man once told me that, “God doesn’t expect each of us to have a boatload of kids, but to love those he places in our path!” I am blessed by a multitude of path dwellers! 

I mean that in the nicest way!

Yesterday was Senior Awards Day…the start of Graduation Season.  Next week is “Senior Week.” Graduation practice, slide show, movie, and the big day. 

It will be a week of tears, laughter, dreams realized and dreams forgotten…

 I have a front row seat. This ritual amazes me every year. It is very much like a choreographed dance.  Sometimes it’s a waltz – quick time, but detailed and deliberate – other times it’s like the pit in front of the stage at a  Creed concert!  Detailed chaos…all arms and legs and someone is bound to get hurt.

Those tears have already started. The wounds are still too painful for reflection. In a very short span of time, there has been death, birth, the promise of life, the fear of failure, broken promises, plans made, plans changed….and the real fun has yet to begin!

Sometimes I wish adults could learn the importance of silence!  Sometimes silence is the best course for those of us graced with a place on the path.

As a teacher I get to watch the waltz...it is tempting to try and join in, but it's not my place.