The End

No, not of this blog but of so many other things……
     

This time of year brings so many endings.  The end of the school year, of course, but other endings too.  This year, it all seems so much more significant than in the past.  

A few weeks ago, Tim ended his two year program for his Master’s degree!  On June 1^st he will graduate with his MBA.  This is one end I am thrilled with.  I am very proud of my husband for his hard work and dedication.  He earned his degree and kept his GPA above 3.5 all while balancing two jobs and a family as well.  

My oldest daughter is ending her last year of school before entering high school.  In my education, having gone to public school, there was no such thing as 8^th grade graduation.  I learned from my Catholic school friends though that this is a pretty huge deal in some circles.  We will not be celebrating my daughter’s 8^th grade graduation as a big milestone but my heart is painfully aware that it is a milestone, one which marks her rapidly dwindling childhood.  It means, of course, that there are only 4 more years until she sets off for college, leaving my little nest for the big, bad world.   I’m not ready for that yet, and I suspect, I won’t be in 4 short years either…..

And speaking of four years that have flown by incredibly quickly--Tonight is the end of my reign as Little Flowers leader.  We will have our last end-of-the-year tea party.  We have finished up the last of our 4 “wreathes”.  I’m sad about this ending too, as I will miss the fun of the meetings with the wonderful little girls I’ve come to love.   At the same time, I know life is getting busier and I would not have the same time or energy to devote to it next year.  I recognize that the timing is perfect since I need to free up a little more of my schedule for other endeavors.  Still, I don’t like “good byes”.

Wait, there’s more….My son quit boy scouts.  Maybe the timing is perfect for that too.  If the proposed changes go into effect, we were probably going to remove him from the organization anyway.  But on his own (and ignorant of the possible changes in policy) he decided he was done.  He just wasn’t enjoying it anymore.  

And then……We are discerning an end to our involvement in our amateur movie-making group.    The co-op we’ve been doing all year with three other families is almost over and we will not be continuing next year.  My “baby” will start pre-school next year so I feel like her babyhood is officially ending now (though at almost 4 years old she hasn’t really been a baby for a loooong time).  

The good news in all this though?  Summer is just about to BEGIN!  And that means almost three months of relaxation and family fun before I really have to face all the changes most of these ends will bring…..