Life lessons
May is one of my favorite months. Our gardens are being reborn (along with the weeds). Trees leaf out. The weather warms. Children graduate.
Wait! What’s that last one?
Yes, May was one of my busier months - for ever member of my family.
We started out by having a birthday party for Mecca, who turned 11 on May 16. We threw him a party with 16 of his closest friends. Honestly, he could have invited about 30 more judging from the kid’s popularity, but we wanted to keep it manageable.
I know what you’re thinking. Are you crazy? Sixteen boys?! If you’ve had a party for boys, you know the fewer in number the better. So, 16 is manageable? I’ll admit, I was scared at first, but Bonnie had one of her wonderful ideas to make the party fun for the boys and painless for us: hold the party in the TCU pool.
I had forgotten that TCU rents out the pool as long as you need it for a reasonable fee. What a great idea! The kids are contained. The fun is limitless, and they exit clean! Genius!
The party was a success for everyone. After two hours of swimming where we didn’t have to do a thing, we served cake and punch on a table in the lobby, then sent the kids outside to play until their parents picked them up. It was minimum stress for us and maximum fun for them!
We followed the birthday with another fun event: Hannah’s college graduation. On the St. Kate’s campus, we had a beautiful, sunny day a couple of days later to celebrate her receiving her bachelor’s degree in biology and public health. The day was filled with a lot of pomp and circumstance worthy of a college graduation with family members around. We are so proud of her accomplishment and what she has done.
She followed her graduation by starting a paid internship for in the Public Health Department for Hennepin County. She has a tough job. She inspects beaches and pools to make sure they’re safe for the public. She’s had to close a couple of pools and spas, but no beaches, yet. She’s having fun, learning a lot and getting paid. What more could a parent ask for?
Side note about her job. She was also fortunate to inspect the three swimming pools in the Vikings training camp. Yes, they have three: one cold water, one warm water, and a third with an underwater treadmill. She didn’t meet any players because when she was there they were in water therapy.
A few days after graduation, I helped her move from her dorm where he had been a Resident Assistant to a St. Kate’s apartment building across the parking lot. It was fun (note the sarcasm) moving her stuff down three flights of stairs to the car, then three flights of stairs up to the new place — without the benefit of an elevator. Even though she doesn’t have that much stuff, it was a lot of work without the elevator. I am so looking forward to her Father’s Day gift to me this year, because after that move, I should be getting something fantastic!
Our busyness continued that following Friday when Isaac graduated from TCU High School. It was a great ceremony, albeit a shorter one than St. Kate’s. We took a lot of photographs, made sure the diploma was signed, and put the final touches on his graduation party, which was two days later. We are so proud of him and who he has become. It does a parent’s heart good when your kids turn out to be decent, respectable adults. For the summer, he is working for Seneca as a field test inspector before he starts the welding program at Alexandria Technical College.
Needless to say, May was busy. So, getting back to the title of this column, what are my life lessons? Here they are:
When planning a birthday party for boys, listen to your wife. In fact, always listen to your wife.
When moving a new college graduate, enlist in more help that just yourself. Your back, legs and body will thank you.
When planning a graduation party for your son who likes things simple, and your wife who likes things “less simple”, go outside. Mow the lawn. Plant flowers. Take a walk. Do anything but get in the middle.
The final lesson? Enjoy the kids. They grow up way too fast.
