Endings, Summer and New Beginnings

Whew! We made it to the end of the school year. It is a bittersweet moment! We are closing the chapter on Elementary school... well, for a while anyhow. Justina is like a gift that keeps on giving as we will enter the doors of an Elementary school again in just a couple of years,but for now.....
Aaron finished the 5th grade and did an excellent job. I could not be any prouder of his accomplishments but even with all the academic success he has had, I am most proud of his heart. He is kind, loving and good. Those are things that are hard to find in the world today.
Jessica is finished with middle school and moving into high school. I really cannot believe that she is going to be a Freshman. That is so impossible to me. It is a great moment as we look to the future and what it holds. My greatest desire is that my children will look beyond the future to the one who holds the future. I want them to know God above all else because the future is uncertain at best. There are no definites, no promises of a brighter tomorrow. I want them to gain skills, to learn, to gain knowledge and to be successful but even all of that will not be enough if they do not know the one that holds all our tomorrows in His hands.
Now, it is summer. Such great memories. I remember the feeling of freedom as I walked out of the school doors into the bright sun and thought... Summer! Time for some fun in the sun. It wasn't long and I was hot and bored. Funny how we seldom remember that though, we always remember swimming and playing and camping and spitting watermelon seeds. I love that we have so many senses because it makes our memories more vivid. When I think of Summer I think of the sun, bright, hot and burning alllllllllll day long. I think of blue skies and white fluffy clouds. I love the Montana summers where evenings were cool and so were early mornings. As a child it was one big adventure waiting to happen. Walking in the cool creek. Splashing in the cold water. We always wanted to walk barefoot and tried to be tough. My sister always won that game. She could and did walk year round without her shoes on. There were always cookouts, bbq's and just time to relax. I love the slowness of the summertime. I liked to sleep in, letting the sun shine through the window and knowing I didn't have to get up unless I wanted to. Oh to be a child again. So many fun times. It seems that as an adult summer is just not as much fun anymore. It is kind of like Christmas, more fun for the kids, always.
We always have some fun stuff planned for the summer, for my kids vacation typically means going home to Montana. We love it so much and miss it and Summer is the best time to go home. So, that is what vacation will mean to them. Family and friends and Montana. That seems to be the highlight for us every summer. It is one thing we look forward to the most but seems to go by so very fast.
Before long we will be back into the routine of school. Learning our way around new school buildings, meeting new teachers and making new friends. The excitement and fear is amazing. It is exciting. I know that both Jessica and Aaron will do wonderfully well. They have everything they need. I am excited to watch them step into their new found freedoms and new responsibilities. What an amazing transformation. Like watching my little caterpillers become beautiful butterflies.

It has been a while since I have been on here, hopefully I will return soon. For now, enjoy the long days of summer. Even those days when you are bored. When the boredom bug hits, it is a sure sign that you need an adventure.. go find one.