Write a diary entry dated ten years from now.
I'm not sure if I'm ready to face where I'll be in ten years. My boys will be 21 and 19. My husband and I will hopefully be empty-nesters to college students.
I've never been good at keeping a diary for the same reason I've never been good at regular blogging, which is the whole reason I'm doing this little project. I hate writing in a diary in the same way I hate making videos - it's like talking to myself. I can easily do an article where I share my experiences thinking someone else is going to read it, but to just sit here and talk to myself is weird.
Anyway, it's part of the challenge, so I guess here it goes. I have no idea what I'm going to say. Hmm.
Dear Diary,
Ten years ago, I cried as Noah walked across the stage to receive his certificate of completion for the fifth grade. It was hard to imagine, to even think about the fact he was headed to sixth grade.
That summer, he learned to cook and make his own medication. I had dreams for him, for Jonah, to be able to be independent. My hope was that one day they'd be able to live on their own like their peers. There is so much to do to take care of themselves. It was hard to imagine they'd ever be able to handle it all. Preparing CPAPs, oxygen, feeding bags, medications, and the list goes on and on.
I'll never forget them saying they were going to live together when they grew up because they couldn't imagine being apart from one another. And they were going to live close to me so they could visit anytime.
While the thought warmed my heart, I had secretly hoped they would move away. Not because I didn't want them close to me, but because I wanted to know they were independent enough to do so, to live a life of their own. One where they had spread their wings and flown a distance I had feared in the early days of their diagnosis I would never see.
And today, Noah completed his junior year of college at The University of Tennessee. He's going to be a senior.
And Jonah completed his freshman year at The University of Florida.
I'm proud of them. I know they miss each other, but I think this time of being away from each other has helped them find who they are on their own, has helped them develop into more of their own individual selves.
The road hasn't been easy to get here. The past ten years came with a lot of sacrifices. There was a lot of pain, but nothing persistence and love couldn't sustain.
***
These are my dreams for my boys, but really what I hope happens in ten years is that they are chasing their own dreams, even if they are different from mine. All I want is for them to be as healthy as they can be, doing all the things that bring them joy. Anything else is a bonus.
While I haven't read the book, You Before Me, but I love this quote. "You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."
I hope we're all doing that in ten years. However or whatever it takes.
I've never been good at keeping a diary for the same reason I've never been good at regular blogging, which is the whole reason I'm doing this little project. I hate writing in a diary in the same way I hate making videos - it's like talking to myself. I can easily do an article where I share my experiences thinking someone else is going to read it, but to just sit here and talk to myself is weird.
Anyway, it's part of the challenge, so I guess here it goes. I have no idea what I'm going to say. Hmm.
Dear Diary,
Ten years ago, I cried as Noah walked across the stage to receive his certificate of completion for the fifth grade. It was hard to imagine, to even think about the fact he was headed to sixth grade.
That summer, he learned to cook and make his own medication. I had dreams for him, for Jonah, to be able to be independent. My hope was that one day they'd be able to live on their own like their peers. There is so much to do to take care of themselves. It was hard to imagine they'd ever be able to handle it all. Preparing CPAPs, oxygen, feeding bags, medications, and the list goes on and on.
I'll never forget them saying they were going to live together when they grew up because they couldn't imagine being apart from one another. And they were going to live close to me so they could visit anytime.
While the thought warmed my heart, I had secretly hoped they would move away. Not because I didn't want them close to me, but because I wanted to know they were independent enough to do so, to live a life of their own. One where they had spread their wings and flown a distance I had feared in the early days of their diagnosis I would never see.
And today, Noah completed his junior year of college at The University of Tennessee. He's going to be a senior.
And Jonah completed his freshman year at The University of Florida.
I'm proud of them. I know they miss each other, but I think this time of being away from each other has helped them find who they are on their own, has helped them develop into more of their own individual selves.
The road hasn't been easy to get here. The past ten years came with a lot of sacrifices. There was a lot of pain, but nothing persistence and love couldn't sustain.
***
These are my dreams for my boys, but really what I hope happens in ten years is that they are chasing their own dreams, even if they are different from mine. All I want is for them to be as healthy as they can be, doing all the things that bring them joy. Anything else is a bonus.
While I haven't read the book, You Before Me, but I love this quote. "You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."
I hope we're all doing that in ten years. However or whatever it takes.
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