A Note to Build a Dream On

I just received this from a friend. Messages like this are exactly why I blog. When air and light is brought into a situation, it is good. When shame and dread are brought into a situation, you end up with a hot mess. Here is an excerpt: I don't know if I ever told you. But I started reading late, very late. From kindergarten to about 4th grade, I was in a special needs class. I thought algebra I and II were going to do in my family and I. My parents each took turns tutoring me thru it. We would stay up late almost every night, well past midnight. My Mom and I would be crying because I just couldn't grasp the concepts, no matter how many times and different ways it was explained to me.

I guess I wanted to share that story to say that academics and school are a marathon. There will be times when it seems like everyone is outrunning you and there is no water station in sight. But, it is a long endurance race with moments of sprinting, walking, and crawling. But, it is all about the accomplishment of finishing. And it is a BIG accomplishment to finish...no matter what your end time is.
I know this friend from our years in Boston. When she witnessed our boys' baptisms, I think she took to heart standing up as a congregant at Christ the King, she stood up to say, "Yes, I will seek nurturance of this child. Yes, I will be part of the village it takes to raise him." Anyway, she shared that story with me, and all over again, I felt like I was standing in that sanctuary with our little baby, offering him for his baptism. Like I was saying, "Here is this baby, I can't do this by myself!" And the community said in response, "It's okay, we know, it won't be easy."

Just FYI, the friend who sent the email graduated from Wellesley with honors and holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and as a minority female in the business world, generally knows how to kick ass when she wants to, which in the end, is all I really want for any of my kids.