JWalking: The Blog

P art and parcel of the summer schedule at the J's is RJ2's month-long+ tenure in Extended School Year, or ESY. One of the things we discovered early on in her school career is that she needs to keep school in her blood so she doesn't forget what it's like to be at school. Generally successful. This year, challenging. Mondays--especially challenging. Yesterday was no exception, as RJ2 struggled to accomplish her work. The weekly Monday reports from the teacher were not encouraging and difficult to hear time and time again upon dismissal time in the school's front lobby. "We'll try again tomorrow," is what RJ2 often says on days when she knows she hasn't been at her best. Her aide sighs a smile, as do I. [It was all I could do not to lose it laughing in the hallway a week or so ago when RJ2 flew into her classroom announcing in her biggest voice, "I'M STILL HERE!" Oh, what her teacher and aide were thinking....] Today, RJ2 starte...

Remembering the Magic We packed bags of dreams, junk food, and clothes,  and set out for Pennsylvania. They called it a "retreat," but four consonants, three vowels can't capture six days of truly living. We bled Mountain Dew and grass stains, lived for running and jumping, and being whole. Being young. We found shortcuts through the woods and ran through with bobbing glow sticks under a full moon. We covered ourselves in war paint-- mud and shaving cream And we would always sing songs of praise, sometimes hand-in-hand amongst the burning spotlights of the stage, but mostly through shouts and laughs of jubilation. They asked us to challenge our thoughts, to believe in the unbelievable. We congregated on stone steps one night to put faith in the unseen. The last night brought tears as we exchanged handshakes and parting words. And under another brilliant moon, I filled a glass jar with fireflies in my head. Memories, glowing brightly. ...