the things they leave behind...

i have the total honor of working with people i really love. not many people get to say that, but thankfully, i do. from the staff at school, to the kids in the classrooms, to the parents - many of whom give so much of their time, energy, and love to make our school what it is. nothing like dedicated parents.

when i lost my grandmother it was incredible the number of people who sent their love and showed their encouragement. in many ways, it was from those that i least expected it from. one such person was a parent of students of mine from 2 years ago in kindergarten. i admire her for many things, one of which is for her ability to successfully raise twins, and MOST of which is for the way she has given those two the gift of creativity by allowing them to experiment and try. her support during this difficult time was not expected, but it was indeed appreciated.

as is the case many times with grieving, a week after it happens, people kinda assume that you are over it, or at least should be. "this whole grieving thing is hard." i'll often remark. "STILL?!??" is the response i'll get. which is understandable. no one wants to see you sad, upset, or having a hard time. it's easier, and you're more fun, the other way.

the other morning, this one particular parent stopped me in the hall to see how i was doing, once again offering her support. we got to talking and i shared something that i have myself only recently come to realize - that this incident has allowed me the ability to handle things without allowing the little stuff stress me out. things just feel more manageable, i don't worry as much as i did before. it's more of a "things will work out" attitude. it's new for me. and refreshing.

she listened to me share this realization and finally said - you see, this is what she left behind for you. each of them leave something behind for us. that's yours.

i like thinking of it like that. like this is the life gift she has given me. it suddenly made my grandmother feel so much closer.