Phase. Season. Period. Stage. Chapter. Whatever. We go through a lot of
them. Being surrounded primarily by students and an infant this has been
thrown into sharp relief. Audrey grows constantly and learns something
new every two weeks (or seconds). The students write papers, stay up
late and only take care of themselves. I did those things a short time
ago but now my time is taken up running our household and being a wife
and mother. And we all do this under one roof.
It's exciting to watch Audrey enter a new stage in her development.
It's fun that she can quasi-crawl around the apartment and try to keep
up with me as I go from room to room. She's completely given up her
pacifier. This week she began the early stages of pulling to standing,
which means she will be walking before too long. It's just amazing to me
to think that just nine months ago she was born and all she could do
was sleep and cry. She even had to learn to eat. Now she can do so many
things and eat so, so so much. She goes from one stage to the next so
fast sometimes I forget what the previous stage was like. But with each
step forward it gets more exciting. When she smiled I thought life
couldn't get any better. Then she laughed. I can't imagine what it will
be like when she talks.
The students spend their time very differently from Ryan and I. They
go to classes and internships, read great books and spend a lot of time
together. They live at the crossroads of freedom and duty, with one of
their biggest challenges being to find the balance. Some of the students
will graduate in December, thus entering a very different chapter in
their lives. Up until now they haven't worried about money, where
they're going to live or other "grown up" things. They're applying for
career jobs all across the country and preparing to make big decisions.
They don't know what the immediate future holds but they are excited.
There's promise and hope in the change. But they're not there yet.
They're on the cusp of somethings new while still very much so students,
with all the stress and responsibilities it brings.
Ryan and I are the older (or just old, as one student told me) and
wiser of the bunch, which we have never been before. I'm asked "life
questions" and about what it's like to be a wife and mother. About my
experiences after university, what it was like to be pregnant and about
parenting. And I have things to say, which is strange because though I
feel very much so like an adult, I don't feel like I should have insight
to share. But I am a couple of stages ahead of the students and I've
been where they are. So I guess that makes me somewhat of an expert.
Weird. Maybe in my next stage I'll feel comfortable with that.
All these phases come together in our house. And it's really cool.
The students posses great life and vitality while Audrey brings
happiness and ease and I hope Ryan and I contribute wisdom (or at least
life experience) and encouragement. It's a great meeting of seasons and
we can all learn from each other. We need to be reminded that life
consists of many parts and that each posses its own difficulty and joy.
Audrey learns to crawl while the students learn about ethics and Ryan
and I learn about being adults. And we're better people for doing it all
together.
beautifully written.
ReplyDeleteI am so proud of you!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your beautiful family has this unique experience. What a blessing you are being to the students and staff.
ReplyDelete