Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

So, here I sit in a dress and make-up, running through the plans for the afternoon in my head, wondering if I can squeeze in a trip through the carwash. Leave work, pick up the corsage, go by the house to change shoes and tend to chickens (and shave the spot on my knee that I missed this morning), get Mr. J., fill up on gas, and head to Anson.

My son has 8^th grade banquet tonight. It’s like a mini-prom. There is a dinner, awards, video montage of the kids’ pictures from when they were babies until now; they actually come in escorting their dates and everything. They do portraits and IHOP after the banquet. It is a lot of fun.

I have one worry. And, it’s not about the kids, not the dance, not getting everything done. I worry that I will spend more time remembering his sister than focusing on him. And, that is not OK.

Sarah's 8th Grade Banquet photo on my work computer

I am so terribly proud of the young man he is becoming. And, he knows it. I make a point to make sure he knows without coddling him. And, he expects us to think about his sister and talk about her. But, this is about him. Sarah’s 8^th grade banquet was one of the last school functions she had. There will be awards ceremonies and he will start high school.

Then, *gulp* then there will not be any more memories of “When Sarah did it…”. He will have passed her. In October, he will be older than she was when she died. This year is going to be awkward and, hard.

But, on the upside, Ty gets to start on his own road without having to follow his sister. And, she was a big act to follow. I am actually excited about high school and the possibilities for my son. So, here’s to fresh starts and bright futures!