Time to Shine

Roy left this past Wednesday for Acrofest, taking his team and the bus and a truck filled with mats and other gymnastics-type paraphernalia. Jace and I drove down Friday evening after I got home from work, joining my sister at her friend's home there in Collegedale. Her friend, Dana, has this sprawling home on a gorgeous piece of property less than a mile from the Southern University gym, and she lets her company inhabit the entire downstairs section of the home, complete with two full bathrooms and four bedrooms filled with king-sized beds. It was fabulous.

Before I arrived, I picked up Roy from the gym so that he could spend a couple of hours with us as he was staying in the dorm (though it wasn't required). As soon as I walked in and saw my very own personal room with this king-sized bed, I ran back out to the car and said, "Roy! You have to stay here! We have our own room!"

He shook his head. "Nah--I'll stay at the dorm. You'll enjoy the time with your sister."

And then he walked in.

"Nevermind. I'll stay." 

And so, Roy and Jace (and his buddy Harrison) and Darian and Tami all piled into Dana's home and we stayed up way too late talking and eating, as Dana left out snacks and juice, and all in all had a fabulous time.

Saturday evening was the Acrofest event, complete with about 30 performing teams from all over the Midwest and eastern part of the USA. But the highlight for me? Seeing so many friends from Texas and Missouri and Wisconsin. One beautiful thing about living in so many different places is all of the friends I've made over the years. It's a little bit like comin' home seeing so many that are so dear to my heart. 

But the part that just fills me up in ways I can't explain is seeing kids that I've taught over the years who suddenly grew up--became men and women who now support families and are pursuing their own dreams, forging their own way. It is a whole lot of crazy and it makes my head spin. And honestly, it makes me burst with pride a bit--though I can't really claim any part in their successes. It's just that when I taught, back in the day, I looked out at kids filled with sheer potential. And so to look at them now, grown up and beautiful in so many ways, well...I just want to squeeze them and say I knew you had it in you.

One of my kids is a guy who is now an English teacher and he is brilliant at it. He lives his life with passion, and it doesn't take long in a conversation to realize that this boy was born to teach, to make a difference one student at a time. He student taught under me and we had the most amazing time as we bounced ideas off of each other and laughed and cried our way through the semester. (Well, I cried as I'd just found out I was pregnant with Jace and as the girls were 8 and 10, this new reality sent me reeling.)

But Nick is just one of many that I caught up with. I could go on and on and on: Kelly and Bretlyn and Sean and Frankie and Jon and JiHon and Chris and Anthony and Shawnda...

I'm sure you get the idea.

By the time I got home this afternoon, I was exhausted. After two nights in a row of staying up far too late talking and so many different emotions and such, well...I just needed a little time to hang on the couch and soak up a little Parenthood. And so that's exactly what I did. That show is a whole lot of goodness and there are only 5 more episodes.  Sigh. Anyway, there is this part towards the end of the show when Crosby is talking to his wife Jasmine and he is feeling badly as his business is floundering, and she has taken a part-time job as a filing clerk to help ends meet. And so, he is telling her that he wants more for her, that he doesn't want her to have to work this measly job. And she looks at him and says, "It's okay, Crosby. It's just for a little while. Things will change soon and I'll get to live my own dream. Everybody has their time to shine."

Life is a journey. Sometimes, our lights are dim as we grope around in the dark, desperately searching for the right path while we stub our toes and flounder. But then, the shadows lift and we find ourselves filled to the brim with so much light and love and joy.

This weekend at Southern? It was kids pouring their hearts out on those mats and my friends being a support system and my past students who are now in throes of adulthood and chasing their own dreams coming to be a part and coaches who inspire.

This weekend at Southern? It was a whole lot of shining.