Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Spring: A Time for Beginnings and Endings -- and Change

Spring; in nature it is a time for beginnings.

Weeks ago Momma Robin built a nest on our back porch.

The other day her eggs hatched.

Now, her hatchlings start their new lives and are eager to be fed.

Out front, our lilac bush has bloomed and shares its lovely fragrance every time we pass the front porch.

On the sides of the house, irises and roses are in bloom, adding color to our yard.

In our little family, spring is also a time for endings.

Today is my granddaughter's last day of high school. As she headed out the door this morning, I snapped photos to capture the moment.

After final exams this morning, her class will hold Senior Day, where they will have fun and games on the school's athletic field.

Today she will also turn in her soccer uniform and say goodbye to her team mates. I'm sure many tears will be shed.

It is a bittersweet time for her--and for us to see her grown up and prepare to leave our "nest" and head off for college at the end of the summer.

Her official graduation ceremony is a week from Saturday, and her graduation party is next month. Time to celebrate!

This is also my grandson's last week of elementary school. He graduates from eighth grade on Friday.

He is off school today and has an all-day field trip to Hannibal tomorrow, where I'm sure he will learn more about Mark Twain and Twain's famous fictional characters: Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Huck Finn, to name a few.

On Friday my grandson has his class's Farewell Assembly. At the assembly, his class performs a dance number. That should be fun! 

While he's off of school today, I'm taking him and a couple friends to the movies to see "Iron Man 3."

While he and his friends are watching "Iron Man 3" in one room of the theater, my sister and I will be in another room watching "The Great Gatsby." I'm excited to see this latest version of the movie.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's book "The Great Gatsby" is considered by many to be "the great American novel."

The setting and characters are memorable, but the novel's last line, which is etched on the tombstone Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda share, is recognized as one of American literature's best: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

So, while spring is a time for beginnings, it's also a time for endings; it's a time to remember and celebrate the past and prepare for the future and the changes that lie ahead.

Happy Spring!

21 comments:

  1. I know the poet said that April is the cruelest month, but every May, when I watched varying sizes of graduates charge forth into new territory, I wanted to holler, "Wait!I haven't had enough time to tell them all they need to know!"

    Of course, time doesn't wait and off they went, anyway. But at least May gives us gorgeous flowers to make up for it. :-)

    Congrats to the lovely Carrie (and enjoy the movie)!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy,
      I know exactly how you feel, and thanks for your kind words.
      Donna

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  2. Congratulations to your beautiful granddaughter. She is entering such an exciting and rewarding time in her life. And your grandson is entering a new phase, as well. Congratulations also to him for his accomplishments and moving on to high school. I know you're proud of them!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lisa,
      Thank you. It's an exciting time around here, and we are very proud of them.
      Donna

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  3. A very moving post today, Donna! I loved it.

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  4. Lots of changes! I'm interested to see what you think of Gatsby.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,
      I'm going to post a mini-review of the movie next week.
      donna

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  5. Lovely pictures and yes, change moves us all.
    I am not sure I want to see this Gatsby...looks, well, not right. So you will have to let us know what you think. I don't like my stories messed with, ha, ha. And Gatsby in film is always Redford!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Claudia,
      Thanks. The photos on your latest blog post were great, too. I had a hard time getting past Toby Maguire playing Nick Caraway more so than Leo DiCaprio playing Gatsby.
      donna

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  6. Definitely a bittersweet time for everyone...and so exciting. Let me know about Gatsby. I'm tempted to see that one myself!

    Pat
    Critter Alley

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    Replies
    1. Hi Pat,
      Gatsby was worth the price of admission.
      Donna

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  7. I must say, she looks poised and ready to get on with her life!

    Oh, gosh! This leaving-the-nest thing is for the birds! My son graduates Friday night, and I have to sit behind the podium with the other faculty all decked out in robes like we do every year. Only this time, I will be bawling my eyes out for the standing-room-only crowd to see.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Val,
      This Friday will be a big event for you and your son. Good luck with his college adventure.
      Donna

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  8. You are so blessed with those wonderful children. Time stops for none of us. I am so happy to be able to take the warm covers off the bed.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Thank you, and how true! I'm happy for the nice weather too.
      Donna

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  9. Donna--Didn't you have birds build a nest by your front door or in a bush last year? How nice that you can be a voyeur and see the baby birds as they grow.

    And your granddaughter and grandson, both going to new schools this fall. I am sure your buttons will burst with pride--and rightly so--over both of them.

    Let us know how you liked the movie. I'm curious, but the trailers both attract and repel me...

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sioux,
      You have a good memory. I guess the birds tried a better spot this time.

      I'm going to post about the movie next week, or maybe this weekend if I get some time.

      Donna

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  10. Hi Donna, Lovely website! I found your blog via "KidsReads" on The Book Reporter site. I am extremely new to writing and have not much credentials to show for it, but would love to do more/be more involved within writing online. I wonder whether it would be naive of me to apply to write reviews with "kidsreads" ? And also, I'd love to ask you about the format of the reviews themselves. Anyway, I'd leave my email address here, but hate to print it out so obviously on the internet :) Perhaps you have a contact email? Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. I'm no longer a book reviewer for Kidsreads or Bookreporter. If you're interested in being a reviewer for them, I suggest you contact them directly. That's how I got started.

      Delete
  11. What beautiful pictures and a beautiful post. I know only too well those mixed feelings when you see them getting done with high school. All the best to your grandchildren!

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