Like so many others, I'm thankful for good health - both my own and those I love. I have not lost anyone in this pandemic, and I pray that will continue to be the case as the Delta variant surges throughout our country. As the largest school district in the state (and one of the largest in the country) kicks off the school year in two weeks, I am so very thankful that Houston ISD has chosen to safeguard the health and wellbeing of its 250,000 students and personnel and that I can send my son back to high school, secure in the knowledge that masks will help continue to keep him safe and healthy.
In addition to their good health, I remain thankful each and every day that my two children are able to pursue their passions. The pandemic has been disruptive to them both, but they have now each begun to see improvement in opportunities once again. My daughter received an offer for a fall internship in D.C. that is exactly on point for her interests in counter-terrorism and countering domestic extremism. I'm visiting her this weekend in D.C., and she is so obviously thrilled to be back in the city she loves so much. Her campus will return to in-person learning this fall, and even though masks will be required, it's going to be a dramatic improvement over virtual learning. Her weeks will be full again. Between her internship, her campus tour guide job, her classwork, her involvement in her sorority and her time with friends, it's hard to imagine she won't be over-stretched. Because she missed an entire year of being on campus, she must now weigh whether it's worth being away from DC for another semester to do a study abroad program, which we always assumed would be part of her college experience. Despite the need to pack in as much as she can and the challenge of possibly foregoing experiences she might have done, she and I are both thankful she now has the ability to return to normalcy again.
After 8 months of enduring one medical exam after another and submitting endless piles of paper, the FAA finally cleared my son for the medical certificate he needed in order to continue on toward earning his private pilot license. He's now done his first solo flight and is on his way again. I'm thankful for the huge hug he gave me when I handed him his first class medical certificate from the FAA in June. I'm thankful I was able to see his exhilarated face when he climbed out of the plane after his first solo flight the next month. And I'm thankful for the clarity I experienced about his plans to pursue a career in aviation despite not having a pristine bill of health. Hearing the compliments of his instructor, listening in on the flight school radio to him communicating with the tower, watching his pure happiness at being able to fly -- that all helped me realize how important it is for him to pursue his dreams, challenges notwithstanding. I'm thankful for that realization and insight and so very thankful that he too can return to normalcy.
My hope is that normalcy is already making a reappearance in your lives too and that our country will meet the moment to truly restore normalcy and good health for all.
You can read more about me and my writing on my
website. You can find me on
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram, and
Pinterest. And you can find my Clubmobile Girls series novels on
Amazon.
2 comments:
Eleri, One of the joys of parenting is seen children become adults and find their passion. Your children, well young adults, have certainly found theirs as you have found one of yours as an author.
Congrats to both you and your children. Though the pandemic has been hard on everyone, it is an experience they've had and overcome and when faced with new challenges in life, they will know they managed this one--a once in a lifetime (we hope) pandemic.
Post a Comment