Beginnings

Dear Caroline,

September 29, 2001

November 19, 2004

April 9, 2010

June 3, 2011

July 11, 2015

May 21, 2016

Our lives are a series of moments and days that are especially significant. All the dates above are especially life changing for me in one way or another. From divorce to deaths to marriages, all of the dates above are such memorable days for me. I can remember them off the top of my head. Except for May 21^st. I remember the day, but I didn’t remember the date.

It popped up on my Facebook memories page. Memories and pictures of the day from over the years. Today, one year ago, Thomas and I decided to become more involved. In March of last year, we began getting more involved in TRAGIC and lobbying against a bill that would establish an “Opportunity School District” that would takeover chronically failing schools by the governor’s office. We were incensed. We were looking around and asking ourselves who was going to stand up? We realized that we could do that. We could stand up.

One of the board members hosted a forum on the issue of OSD and Thomas was asked to speak at a subsequent meeting that very day about it. I honestly feel that this day was a beginning of sorts for our life here in McDonough. Through this meeting we met many of our friends and really began to get involved. And OSD was defeated by a margin of 20 percentage points.

I think we are again arriving at a beginning. My teaching career is rapidly coming to a crossroads. For a while, I have felt very disenchanted with the entire path and am currently exploring my options. It feels very amazing for the first time in my twenty-eight years to not have a single plan or single idea moving forward. Its scary and so out of character for me. Endings kind be scary but beginnings are exciting.

Love always,