Friday, May 25, 2018

Peeks of Light

It's time for Finish the Sentence Friday and, today, we're supposed to share a photo and a story to go with it. I can't share the photo I want to, though. It's a picture of my oldest daughter and some of her friends that was taken a couple nights ago when they were having a sleepover to celebrate the end of a grueling sophomore year and one of their birthdays. It is a photo of love, friendship, and pure joy. 

While I'm certain they have each put this same photo on all their social media accounts (because I've seen and "liked" each and every one), I don't feel it's my right to slap their faces up here on my little piece of the internet. So, instead, I spent way too much time on Canva finding this stock photo of joyous friends to share! It's missing the green grass and the familiar faces, but you get the idea.
So what's the story that goes with the photo??

We made a decision two years ago to enroll our daughter in this extremely rigorous academic high school/college program. Every day since then I have wondered if it was the right decision. I have seen her completely joy-less and far more stressed out than any fifteen year old should be. At the same time, she has made some great friends and can definitely say she has overcome some incredible hurdles. It was actually an enormous relief to see such joy on their faces in that photo.

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Thursday afternoon (the day I picked her up from the sleepover), we were driving with my around town when we witnessed a pretty bad car accident right in front of us. The car in front of me ran a red light and got t-boned by another vehicle. The next thing we saw was the homeless man who is almost always on the corner at that intersection. His sign says he is a disabled veteran. Using a cane, he was hobbling across a very large and busy intersection as fast as he could to check on the people in the cars that had collided. HE WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO WENT TO THEM! (I called to report the accident while sitting in my car, but admittedly did not get out of my car. I just didn't feel it was a responsible, safe thing to do in so much traffic and I have no medical training to offer anyway.)

Later, my daughter and I were discussing what we had seen. After all, she has her learner's permit and will get her license in just a few months. It was a teachable moment, for sure. We both made mention of the homeless man and what a selfless thing it was for him to risk his safety to go check on the people in the wreck. She said, "Moments like that restore my faith in humanity." 

Maybe it was just something people say, right???

But, maybe not. In the instance of maybe not, I had a few thoughts:

1) It makes me sad that my 15 year old daughter has a sense of lost faith - faith in God, faith in people, faith in goodness. I cannot shelter her from news of school shootings, angry people, and natural disasters. Kids these days are under so much pressure to excel at academics, look a certain way, grow up too fast. I wonder what hand I've played in the dim outlook she has and what it means for her, all her friends, and my two younger daughters in the future. 

2) I am delighted that she still sees peeks of light in the dark. In reality, she has always been a "glass half empty" kind of person. It was refreshing to hear her refer to the homeless man as a sign of hope and to see the sheer happiness on her face in the picture I'm not posting. It was, yet again, a relief to know that some optimism still exists in her and that maybe our choice of high school program coupled with all the terrible news in the world has not completely stolen away every last drop of her childhood innocence.


As parents, we make decisions every day - big ones and little ones - that affect our children's lives. Sometimes, it's so hard to know what the right choice is. We just have to do what we think is best in the moment, move forward with love, and hope for a good outcome. Then, we have to take the peeks light as they come and hold on tight until the next one comes around! 
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Linking up with Kristi and Kenya for Finish the Sentence Friday! 
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4 comments:

Kenya said...

I probably wouldn't have gotten out of the car either. Seeing an accident always makes my stomach flip. So if I wouldn't be able to handle what I see then I just need to be the witness and the 911 caller. I agree that it's sad at such a young age your daughter mentions restoring faith. :-( Glad she's found a happy place with her friends in school. The jump for joy could also be because it's almost over for "a little while".

Pat B said...

I so glad that you and your daughter were able to discuss this incident together. There are so many scary things young people are having to face in these times and parents need to stay strong and supportive. I think it is totally normal to question the decisions we make as parents, but I also feel it is possible to feel a sweet reassurance that we are doing the best we can.

Kristi - Finding Ninee said...

The photo sounds like it's one that'll be treasured for years. Regarding the accident, how scary that it was right in front of you. I don't know whether I'd have gotten out of the car either. I might be more likely to if I were alone - but if Tucker was with me, I don't think I would have. It's good that you and your daughter could talk about it and that she recognized the humanity shown by the homeless man. That's something I'm sure both of you will remember for years and years.

Tamara Bowman said...

Even though we can't see it, I'm glad you have that photo! And it's such a celebration to have the end to a school year, and to have such friends to share that with!
That story of the homeless man is hitting me in the heart. I want to give him $1,000!

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