terza

Finally, this girl is back in school today: 3rd grade! I think this goes on record as the Longest. Summer. Ever. We've traveled quite a bit since the first week of June when summer break began for her and have been blessed to share experiences with people we hold dear. On her first day back she was tasked with the "Draw a picture about a favorite part of the summer"assignment that is popular the world over. 

She drew a picture of her cousins on the slide at the pool at her Grandma's house, the time the cousins all pretended to be mummies. My initial reaction was to remind her of all the great things of the summer: the scooter in Ischia, the batik t-shirts on the beach in Florida, the aquarium in NOLA, the week at the seaside with her little friend she has named "Chiudi Becco," the wildflowers and skinny bridges over babbling brooks in the mountains, the death slide at the water park, and the visit to Brunelleschi's dome in Florence. But, I restrained, choosing instead to pull her close to me and ask for details of the mummy cousins at the pool, a story I hadn't heard before today.

It's a gentle reminder for me to keep the focus where it needs to be and keep it simple, a goal for this new year, and a bit of a nudge to remember that this is her life story with her memories filled with her details.