The college counselor at our high school shared what seemed like an astonishing statistic: one in three students don’t graduate from the college they first attend. We thought: That won’t be him. We were wrong. He only ever wanted to attend one school, and he only ever wanted one major with one career outcome. We … Continue reading One in Three
Tag: college
Care Packages
Our church has a tradition of sending care packages to college students as a way of continuing to share love with them even when they cannot be with us. Over the years I have enjoyed writing notes to kids I know, encouraging them to hang in there and that, yes, we do notice you’re not … Continue reading Care Packages
Thankful Thursday – Road Trippin’ the American West
The longest road trip I remember from childhood took me to Disneyland, which seemed So Far Away, though now I have to admit that the hour-and-a-half drive from San Diego to Anaheim doesn't truly count. Guy's family did real road trips: six weeks coast-to-coast in a Volkswagen Vanagon, a different route each way, every summer. … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Road Trippin’ the American West
Not Alone
I have been to the post office three times in eight days. Four, if you count the trip I made to pick up boxes, which made for two trips in one day. I set a personal record. So what? you ask. What seems a normal act of adulting is An Event for me. You have … Continue reading Not Alone
Thankful Thursday – Gentleness
I slapped off my alarm Monday morning, the one I set so I could have coffee before yoga. Eh, maybe the later class. I missed the later class. Eh, I’ll go to the gym. I had no energy for the gym. Not even for a run around the neighborhood. So I used the dog as … Continue reading Thankful Thursday – Gentleness
Orientation
Orientation [awr-ee-uh n-tey-shuh n] noun 1. the act or process of orienting; 2. The state of being oriented; 3. An introduction, as to guide one in adjusting to new surroundings, employment, activity, or the like: New students receive two days of orientation; 4. Psychology, Psychiatry. The ability to locate oneself in one's environment with reference to time, place, … Continue reading Orientation
Sifting Shifting Sands
I look at the calendar and question whether I must be in a state of deep denial: Teen has only a handful of school days left, then a few days of finals, before he graduates high school. Fifteen days, including weekends, before this long leg of the journey comes to an end. Oy, I just … Continue reading Sifting Shifting Sands
Meatless Monday – Birthday Mac & Cheese
The one who made me a mama was turning 18. Because his birthday gift is a 3-day trip to an out-of-town concert venue with family + seven teenage friends over New Year's (yes, we might be nuts, but we also have a lot of experience chaperoning teens...), we decided to have a celebration dinner at … Continue reading Meatless Monday – Birthday Mac & Cheese
Panic Attack
I arrived home from work mid-afternoon and found Teen seated on his yoga ball hunched over a stack of papers in front of the family room computer, his study spot. I came up behind him and while I was yet two feet away, he abruptly stiffened and threw his hands in a “Don’t Shoot!” position. … Continue reading Panic Attack
Good Enough
When I was in high school, Good Enough was good enough. We did our best - and sometimes not - and we did well. Most kids in my middle-class high school were on the College Prep track; we knew a few in the "non-College Prep" classes, and we understood they struggled; we knew a few who took Honors/AP … Continue reading Good Enough