Sunshine Girl

Notes

Crack Went His Leg, Like the Shell of an Egg...

Being a parent can be hard. Really hard. Those of us who have kids know that - we KNOW that, but sometimes this truth hits home harder than at others. Take today, for instance. Here I sit, in a hotel room 1000 miles away from home, while my son is at home back in Texas, with an immobilized, broken leg, facing surgery.

All without his mama.

Make no mistake, I don't think that he's really put out by the fact that I'm not there (as a matter of fact I'm pretty sure he hasn't given it a second thought), but *I feel pretty crummy about it. He's with his dad, so I know he's being cared for, but my maternal instincts are kicking into overdrive right now, and I'm feeling like a lout for not being there. I'm expecting the letter from the CPS any day now.

I do realize that these thoughts are irrational, but I defy any mothers among you to disagree with my frame of mind. We've all heard that definition of becoming a parent, "having a piece of your heart walk around outside your body".

My heart hurts today.

Glad I'll be home tomorrow.

Senior Pics

Every now and then, I take a picture that I really like. This was one of them.

Graduation Countdown...

Shockingly, it's May already, which means...we're getting pretty close to graduation. After that, I know that summer is going to rocket by, and before you know it we'll be looking at August, and Chris will be leaving home. Whoosh, there go 18 years. Let's take a look...(don't cry, don't cry, Don't. Cry.)

 

Spring Football - 2010

Well, here we are in May of 2010, at the end of Chris' junior year at Klein Collins High School. His 3rd year as a Klein Collins Tiger is coming to a close. Tonight we had the Spring Game, which is sort of an introduction to next year's varsity team. If he decides to play next year, as a senior, he'll be one of those big guys that I swore would crush him, when he was a mere freshman. Just where did the time go? I ask myself this question all the time. It's what you would call a rhetorical question; there is not actually a decent answer to this kind of musing, and you really only serve to torture yourself by going down that rabbit hole, if you take my meaning. The past can be bittersweet and heartbreaking.

Case in point...not all that long ago, October 2006 to be exact, Chris was a "Cougar" at Strack Middle School. 

Gosh, he looks little, doesn't he? As my grandfather used to say, "time and tide waits for no man". I guess he was right. Here's number 23 as of tonight:

I like the fact that he was smiling after the game. I want him to enjoy every minute that he has left of high school, because in the blink of an eye he's going to be a nostalgic adult, asking himself "where did the days go?" Next year may not be perfect every day, but my wish for him is that he enjoy the experiences, good, bad and otherwise. We learn from them. And grow. 

Love you, Sonny. Remember, these are "the good old days".

 

How to Save a Life

When Chris told me that he was applying for a job as a lifeguard last month, I have to tell you, I was slightly skeptical. He's not exactly a swimmer; he's more of a linebacker, who happens to play "Call of Duty" and watch "The Office" a lot, rather than doing laps in the pool and practicing CPR. But he seemed to know what he was doing, and it *is in fact gainful employment, so I went along with the idea. 

A few weeks into it, and there have been no exciting occurrences at the water park, other than the usual whistle blowing and "No running!!" that goes with being a lifeguard. Until...

...today. It was raining most of the day today. He was wondering what the point was going to be of even showing up at work - we all agreed that the park was probably going to be next to empty.  He went, though, since he was on the schedule and needed to show up for his shift. Around 7:00 pm, I happened to be out in the backyard taking pictures for a photography class that I'm enrolled in, and Chris walked through the back gate. 

"Hey," I said. 

"Hey," he said back at me (going for nonchalance), "Guess what? I saved somebody today!"

And he did - he really did. Apparently a girl jumped off the rope swing into some pretty deep water, and was floundering. Chris wasn't sure for a moment if she was just fooling around with her friends, but the fact that she wasn't able to stay above water clued him in that she really *was in trouble. He dove into the 10' water and helped her get a grip on the flotation device, and all was well. She lived to swing another day. 

I think he felt pretty good about this. Since I had my camera in hand, I took this picture of him, just after he told me.

 

This boy looks pretty proud of himself. 

(Yeah, his mom was too.)