This past week was humbling and exhausting.

Was it the slightly punishing summer weather with its windy afternoons and sneezy nights? Was it the car engine hiccups and worrying commutes between appointments and visits to the vw specialist, or was it my teaching week?

Earlier this week, I wrote a letter of recommendation for a Student interested in volunteering to counsel at a teen suicide hotline. She’s 14 and has been volunteering for several years in different places. Midweek, a student shared that Middle School was a tough adjustment. Peer pressure was a burden that made her sad and I could feel she was controlling her tears when she spoke. I saw how delicate and strong she was. Remember middle school? I told her that if she asked any adult, many would tell her it was an awkward place, sometimes miserable. She is doing all the things I did to survive middle school; journaling and diving into hobbies that give personal satisfaction. She’s discovered photography as I did at her age. And she has piano lessons with me twice a week. Lastly, I had a lesson with a mother who missed her son. He had reached that stage where he had outgrown hugs and won’t enjoy mom/son duets at the moment.

And each of these students made beautiful music despite the circumstances that weighed into their day. They may have fumbled a note here and there but they were graceful and gracious through the dissonance.

I was present to some gorgeous poignant moments. I hope you had a few. Moments where you are a soul watching time stand still while being with someone who needed a witness to their sadness or their fears. Live deeply and simply.

I hope you were able to bring comfort.

It was a beautiful, humbling, and exhausting week.

JNET

“Deep and simple is far more essential than shallow and complex.” (Fred Rogers)