~Life moves on~

Seasons change, as do people, (I know this from experience, sadly, a story for another day) and here in the Northeast the seasons definitely are a changing….. Fall is pretty and all with all it’s gorgeous color, but then comes winter, rearing it’s ugly head, barren trees, brown lawns, and although, winter snow is beautiful and so pristine and majestic – from inside with a nice roaring fire going lol – Due to climate change these winters we have now are MOST DEFINITELY NOT the winters of my childhood, when winter was almost always snow filled and welcomed, even when you least expected it (dam weathermen are never on point!) snow days, sleigh riding, snow ball fights, and the icing on the cake, pure joy! Now, as an adult it’s all about Noreaster’s, snow in March instead of like on Christmas, when we should be covered in a beautiful blanket of white….. and those teen temps that chill you to the bone! All those layers you need to keep warm, bulky sweaters, boots, hats and gloves, UGH just the thought of it is exhausting! Ah to be young, when that cold didn’t even phase me….. I must admit though, we’ve had a good run… It’s just recently gotten chill to the bone cold….. YET, for me, the root of my soul is cemented in Summer…. Yup, that’s me, Summer girl. The sun on my face, flowers in bloom, surrounded by green, green, green, temps hotter than hell, walks around the lake with the glistening sunshine off the water, tank tops and shorts, and of course the best, our annual August family (I should say Framily, as although this crew is all my son knows to be “family”, reality is that they’re not blood, but for me, for us, this is all we’ve ever known, as my – yes here we go AGAIN, My mother has expertly alienated me from every single one of my blood relatives, ya know, cause she’s such a nice person, NOT!) week in OBX, living in the lap of luxury, in a private beachfront 12 bedroom mansion with 20+ people I love more than life, drinks in hand and the BEST – my toes in the sand! That’s my happy place! In my heart of hearts I’m so over the cold, unfortunately for me though, I’ve still got at least 4 years left of it. Can’t just pick up and move to the sun when my boyo is still in school, and everything he’s ever known is rooted right here in our home town where he grew up, where my husband and I grew up as well….. Where all he knows and loves lives. This, my friends, is a prime example of EXACTLY what a good parent does. We put our needs and wants and loves on the back burner and suck it up, for our kids, no matter what, for their sake, sanity, stability etc. Children thrive on routine, they need something to count on, a constant, if you will, which, in turn, develops a trust, a pattern, something they can depend on. All these small but very SIGNIFICANT, actions and decisions we make when they are young follow them through the rest of their lives. And if you do it right, attending to their needs, and giving them your undivided attention, nurturing their interests and passions will, literally, become the greatest achievement of your life – a smart, self confident, respectful, no fear, kid with self esteem oozing from every pore and the brains and skills to achieve anything they put their mind to. This is a very bittersweet time in my life, watching the fruits of our labor, our baby becoming a man, time just flies so quickly – to quickly! Boy was I naive, I thought he’d be my baby forever, hugs and kisses at every turn, calling to me when he couldn’t do it on his own, I still hear the echoes of Ma, Ma, Ma as well as the pulls of my sleeves toward whatever he needed me to help him discover…… Which he did A LOT! Always curious, always learning. How can he be 14 already!? It feels like just yesterday that I was running interference as he learned to walk, protecting him from bumps and falls, and now I’m patiently waiting on his call (some nights eyes rolling in the back of my head as I wait – one with my couch) to pick him up from parties, friends, rehearsal, school – HIGH SCHOOL!!!! I’m getting more and more freedom every day (so new to me, and navigating as I go, treading lightly as if it’s a temporary thing, I just cannot believe I’m here!) as he sprouts his wings and flies the uncharted course that we all know as high school. Living, learning, doing, seeing, joining, dreaming, all new experiences, navigating, with ease, all new territory. And my baby is crushing it, hit the ground running head first, as with every other single thing he’s done throughout his life, I’m constantly in awe (not to mention, super PROUD) of this most amazing kid, my son.