Day Sixty Two. Okay, it’s not really day 180. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, my count got off as we continued through Spring Break this year, and well, I just went with it. And that’s kinda how it’s been during this odd time. I have just gone with it. The good. The bad. And the ugly. And the beautiful. Let’s not forget the beautiful. I can’t. My kids won’t let me as they share their stories.

“My story is also our story. You taught me, Sy, not just about language arts but what it’s like to be a part of something and understand more of the people, the places, and the world around me. It is our story because not only are you a part of it but so are my classmates. All of this has made me grow and become a better version of myself. That is my story.”

There is beauty in this. It’s not the flattery (and I am flattered). It’s the discovery. There is beauty in discovery. She discovered us. She discovered herself. And by the time she got to her grade, it was clear to me that she had discovered the beauty of learning beyond grades.

“That might be my story but that is not my grade. Except, my grade is a part of my story. It’s not a big part, but it’s there. There wasn’t much that was new to me, or rather I grew from my previous years’ roots and there is still much more room for me to grow. Knowing you, my grade could be argued to be an A, or possibly higher. Although, I won’t argue with it. I might have grown but there are still kinks to work out- no one is perfect. I would say something along the lines of “I don’t deserve an A” or “I didn’t really learn much, I just drove down an unpaved road adding to the wear in the ground”, but I did learn. I learned a lot, and I tried my absolute best. That’s why I do deserve an A no matter how much that voice says I don’t.”

Their learning. Their stories. The best part for me? Discovering their discoveries as they share their stories. There is beauty in that.

Happy Wednesday, all. Hope you discover some beauty today.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.