i just returned from my daughter's 5th grade awards/graduation ceremony. my daughter is an overachiever - she loves to do well - i don't know where she gets it - her dad and i are such underachievers!!!! anyhoo, she won 8 awards for advanced studies in math, writing, art, music, etc..........but wait!!! surprise!!!!! she was chosen one of four students to read an essay she wrote to the retiring school principal about how he had impacted her in her 6 years at this school. omg!!!! the tears flowed! it was so sweet. even my dad was crying!!! she didn't tell us she had been chosen because she wanted it to be a surprise. and was it ever!!!!!

it was beautiful and the whole ceremony represented so much innocence and hard work and trust and that whole "future wide open" thing that we as adults don't remember in our jaded minds. think back to when we were younger and thought that everyone was good and trustworthy and honest.......can you remember that????? it was so good to be immersed in that environment for this short period of time.

i'm still sniffling!! :)