let's irish goodbye this thing already

I am fine with endings as long as I don't know they're happening.

The other day I thought of an old friend and realized it had been almost two years since I'd seen her.  I thought back to the last time we'd been together and was glad I hadn't known that was the last time.  Because I probably would have ugly cried or something and ain't nobody got time for that.

The past two days have brought about some endings, some ugly cries, and some grateful smiles.  On Thursday night, my brother's soccer team played in the state championship.  It's his senior year and he leaves on his mission shortly after graduation.  They lost, but he was incredible.  As the game came to a close, I found myself crying.  It wasn't necessarily that they lost [although I would have loved to see my brother take home a win], but that this was the end to a chapter.   Watching the supporting crowd mingle with and cheer the players, I thought Q made that school a better place.  He left a mark.  And isn't that the point of things?  To leave them better?

He's going to continue leaving places better.  So it's good he's moving on so that he can leave marks all over.  But it's bittersweet to acknowledge endings regardless.

My classes ended Thursday as well.  Gratefully I get to stay at Lehi, or I would have been a right mess. Friday was yearbook day so I didn't expect to see anyone, but small herds of students found their way to my classroom.   Some of them came to give me gifts along the lines of this:

But others came to say goodbye and thanks.  

Two of the students that dropped by are best friends.  They love skateboarding and anime and have half-grins permanently plastered to their faces.  And they brought me flowers.  

The walked in, handed me the plant, and said, "This is for you."  

I hope they know how happy that simple gesture made me.

Full disclosure? I had Conlin take a full-body shot because--mint shoes.

So with potted plant in hand, my first year of teaching comes to an end.  It was tiring, it was entertaining, it was a lot of things.  But most of all it was something that made me feel just a little bit more alive and more in love with the world.