Curiosity in 2023

My word of 2023 and intentions to write more often. 

 Oh, I have so many intentions of getting back into a regular practice of writing!  I love words and ideas so much and though I haven't written very often on my other blog, the one I've had since Molly was a baby, I still have a writer's spirit. Experiences and thoughts rumble around in my head about how I would describe, where I would find the good, or how I would spin it with meaning in the context of putting words to life in a way that soothes my soul. But alas, I don't sit down to actually do it!

This newest blog, on Curiosity, came about because of a great story that happened over Christmas break last year in 2022. I took my parents' van, my parents, both in their 70s, and all four grandchildren to visit my Aunt and Uncle in East Tennessee.  On the way there, we got a flat tire. It was very stressful, and made more so by our situation traveling!  We got up to a gas station, and I was sitting there trying to stay calm as we waited for AAA, a man walks up to us and wants to make sure we are okay. 

As we were sitting out there about to play cards, a very nice guy pulled up to make sure we were okay. I told him the story, and he said well "You are safe" and "it's a journey." I said, "Yes it is!"  I then asked him where he was from, and the kids said, "You can't ask that MOM!" But he said, "It's ok -- you guess!" And I guessed it -- India. 

His name is Jignesh.... his name in Hindi means "curiosity"

I felt like it was an angel reminding me to chill out, to be curious and that was my word for 2023!  My yoga and mindfulness studies encourage us to find the courage to just be curious. Often I find myself feeling  "This is not how I wanted life to work out."  Yet when I can reflect on the wisdom that "the ability to observe without judgment is the highest form of intelligence," I find the courage to accept that this is indeed our reality and that it is my arrogance to try to make myself the judge of whether it is good or not. 

So 2023 was a year full of emotions, trips, events, and what felt like "milestones" as Anna Cate spent her last year living at home full time.  

Anna Cate finished out her junior year with a full schedule of hard classes, played flag football,  and earned the position as one of two head clinical interns for the Sports Training staff.  In March, we took another educational field trip as a "trip of a lifetime" to France and England. 

For prom, she saved $$ in buying a used dress so she could splurge on the shoes. 

Her summer was actually a glimpse for us of what it would be like for her not to be home as she was an overnight counselor at a wonderful church camp out in the country. I was thrilled she loved being there so much that she decided to stay there full-time, but I was also touched that when Molly found out, she immediately burst into tears. 

Molly's time is blessed by sports, and quality time with Dad and her family here in Centerville. This year her Aunt Becki included her on girls' trips to the beach and to see "Papa Burly" in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Molly enjoys spending time with her best friend/cousin Kitty and sister Tallulah as well as the trips, and she really appreciated the chance to get to know a 97-year-old WW2 veteran. She is Beta Club president and plays volleyball, basketball, and softball.  She says her favorite sport is basketball, but that might be because it is basketball season.   It was a lot of fun watching her learn and dominate the position of setter of volleyball, be aggressive on the basketball court, and last year as a 7th grader, she earned the award "true competitor." 

 

As Molly is closing out her 8th-grade year here, it will be bittersweet because she has made some great memories and connections here in Centerville, but she will be coming to high school with me next year.  Like all transitions (and anything at this age), I am sure it will be full of challenges but I have faith that her grit will sustain her as she embarks on high school. 

This Fall Anna Cate devoted her life to the football program at our school, as she served as head clinical intern for the sports training staff.  From summer 4:30am practices to late Friday nights, she saw the reward in service and the joy of sports. 

Because she wants a big school atmosphere, and we live in Tennessee, and SEC football is a big deal -- she broke it to me that she is seriously considering the University of Tennessee.  I am not totally ready to cheer for them (or wear that gaudy orange), but I've made progress, and BJ and I each went to a game with her this Fall. 

I am thankful I have the mindset of "curiosity" this year! The Kahil Gibran poem rings true for me as I consider her next steps. 

Molly said, "If our family can handle thinking about Anna Cate going to UT, I think I can tell y'all this -- I think football and fishing are both boring. "

So I didn't send out a Christmas letter this year because I sort of wanted to say/know what she will be doing next year. We traveled back to Fredericksburg, Virginia to see our church family and try to surprise our dear friend Patti as our church was honoring her retirement. 

Our trip to Virginia was bittersweet. It was so good to be with dear friends and our church family but it reminded us just how much we miss our life and "our people" there.

While there, Anna Cate found out she would be getting an email letting her know about her admission to UT, and ironically that very night we were being hosted to dinner by our beloved friends Larry and Brenda Haun, who were BJ's mother's best friends and like second parents to him, so that was special for her to get the notice in their living room! 

We had a lovely visit with our best friends the Pences in Richmond. These kiddos picked right up like old times. It was surreal. Norah and I  got up to work out together (after she did her Bible study), and I am just overwhelmed with how grateful I am for our friendship. 

Then on the way home, we stopped in Blacksburg to watch the VT girls' basketball game, and before we headed west to make our way home, Anna Cate received an email that they were letting a few "early action" candidates know that night so we planned to stay in town for dinner and just sit in the car and wait for the email. And the complete visceral reaction she got when she heard she got in was palpable. BJ and I went from "You'd be crazy not to go to UT" to "Oh wow this who you are, this is where you will be going to school" prompting Molly to say "My parents are bi-polar" and "Just to be sure -- there are 2 different college funds, right?"

  

So we headed home for a Tennessee Christmas. 

And we didn't close out the year with anything but CURIOSITY about where Anna Cate will go to college. While in Blacksburg, it felt like she would be there but now that we are back in the swing of things here, I wouldn't be totally surprised if she ended up in Knoxville. Both are good options for different reasons. If I have learned anything lately as I look for the good and cope with the disappointments is that there are always blessings if I allow myself to be curious about what lies ahead, and that any path will include BOTH joy and trials, and that is ok.