UPDATE

A week since I watched my nephew graduation. All so bright, shiny and full of hope. The guys in dress shirts and ties. Girls in nice dresses and slightly wobbly high heels. I suspect they’re probably more used to tennis and flip flops, but they were trying. And looking really sharp.

 

Sixty eight seniors started the year and sixty eight picked up their diplomas. Remarkable for a small community that’s largely agricultural and has a fairly large minority population. There were three valedictorians. They’d all agreed to keep it short and, as I expected, Tim’s speech was the shortest out of the three.

 

Actually we’d had a chance to visit quite a bit the night before while we looked at pictures of the house and yard. I took my lap top with me and we had fun going over some of the pictures I’ve taken this spring. And one neat note. The kids had raised money for their senior trip. A trip that all but one of the students was expecting to take. One of seniors has cystic fibrosis and frankly, she wasn’t expected to live long enough to graduate. She not only graduated, but they raised enough extra so she could go too, if she was well enough, and she was. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house when they announced that.

 

On a more personal note, we still don’t really know what is happening with my brother in law. He is now in a hospital in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Seattle. All we really do know right now is that the problem is not viral or bacterial. So, at least it isn’t contagious. Some consolation. Something is irritating the lining of his brain and spinal column and they haven’t been able to pin it down yet. Sis is with him while the kids hold down the doggie fort back home. As luck, or providence would have it, they have some old friends from their Young Life days who live in Seattle. Sis is being very well looked after. And a further help, his sister isn’t working right now while she upgrades her nursing qualification sand her kids are grown. Also, his mom is a retired ICU nurse. Who better to take a little side trip up north to help hold down the fort and ask the right questions?

 

So we’ve still got our fingers crossed and putting in requests to the guy upstairs to please hold off on the lemon shipments. We’ve got enough lemonade thank you.