Fall Leaves

I honestly think Fridays are my favorite day of the week. There is just something so spectacular about them. It seems everyone is a tad happier, knowing the weekend is right around the corner. And yesterday--Friday--was no exception.

As Roy, Jace and I were pulling out of the driveway to go out for dinner, we decided on a whim to call our principal, Rick, and see if he wanted to tag along. And he did. We picked him up as we passed the ad building as he was standing along the side of the road, hiking up his pants and showing off his leg to "entice" us to stop. He is such a silly man sometimes. And then we talked the whole way there, the whole time  at the restaurant, and the whole way back. And the beautiful thing is, we never once talked about school. Not really anyway. On the way home, the sun was just beginning to go down and the trees were glowing their soft shades or orange and red. I sat in the back with Jace, looking out my window, and just thought to myself I really like my life.

And then after we were home and I'd talked to both of the girls, I decided, on a whim, to visit Tammy. And so I did. Bob wasn't home yet so it was just the two of us in her living room, chatting it up. We both had a million stories to share as we haven't talked in a couple of weeks. We've walked 3 miles together every day since May or June--well, most every day--so I've missed her. I've missed telling her the little things and the big things and hearing her little things and big things. And then Bob came home and was hungry, and Luke came in from Vespers, excited about his music adventure, and the Vaughan fam came alive--everybody talking and laughing and eating. I stayed awhile--probably too long--but it was just so much fun. And they're so friendly and have this way of making people feel welcome and loved. So my time with Vaughan's? A little slice of perfect.

One last thing to share about my Friday. When class was over, one of my students came up to tell me that she's leaving. Now I'm not convinced that she really is as she's cried wolf before. But she told me that nobody likes her here, she's doesn't really feel like she fits in. And looking into her eyes, I saw the pain of a 15 year old girl who longs for acceptance, just like the rest of us. She's had a difficult road in life--torn between parents as so many kids are these days. She's an edgy girl--rides life on the fringes, skirting trouble and then diving headlong into it. But beneath it all is a tender heart who dreams of big things. I wish, when I tell her that she accomplish whatever she wants because she is beautiful and intelligent and capable, she would believe me. I wish she could see what I see.

But I'm afraid life may not deal her a kind hand. And I'm sorry for that.

Sometimes life can be so messy and painful and gritty. 

But for now, it is the weekend. I have 48 hours ahead of me. I have big plans for this weekend. I have joined a "Write a Novel in a Month" club. It's one of my dreams--writing a novel. I have no intention of trying to publish it as I'm rough around those edges for sure. But I'd like to give it a go so...I think I will. And I'm going to take some long walks down Holcombe Cove Road. It winds upwards, covered with trees, and I pass fields of cows and sheep along the way. Then as I am walking home, I can see the mountains in the distance, so majestic and rising to the sky. It's beautiful and it makes me think of so many things beyond myself. 

I am going to go outside and play ball with Jace--surrounded by laughter and piles of fall leaves.