Eighth Grade Graduation

We got a sweet text message this weekend. It was from the family that had taken great care of our mom - especially over the last few years. It all started out when my mom couldn’t drive anymore because of her eye sight and asked the neighbors - who had just moved in - if they could help with errands and drive her to various places. It was the beginning of a mutual and lovely relationship until she passed away two plus years ago. My mom gave them our house and it’s really convenient because it’s right next door to theirs. The text was a photo of the twins who have all of a sudden grown in to young ladies. We haven’t seen them since the funeral. They just graduated from eighth grade from the same school that I attended located right across the street from our house. It brought back a lot of memories so I searched through my old photos and found my eighth grade diploma and a few photos. Things looked a bit different over fifty years ago. The nuns dressed in habits  and wore very starchy head gear that must have been horrible in the high heat and humidity! We wore dresses with veils for church - now they wear caps and gowns. Looking at the photos it seems like a long time ago but feels like yesterday. What a great feeling to look forward to the next milestones in life. Some things never change. 

Yas Bakery Goodies and Tea Cups for Graduation

Last week today we were en route to our grandson’s high school graduation. It’s been 18 months since we saw our family who now live in central Virginia. We all used to live on Capitol Hill for several years. While I worked at the Library of Congress, my husband babysat and ferried our grandson around. So we had a great opportunity to know him well. So we always stop at Yas Bakery the day before we leave and stock up on treats before we visit. This time we wanted to get something special as a token of the big event. So we got a huge box of cookies, a few different spices, candies, flat bread, pistachios, sour cherry jelly, saffron, and some sour relish. Then I noticed some really pretty tea cups with silver rims that looked like larger versions of cups my husband has from Iran. What freshman college student wouldn’t love a set of these? It was really the thought of it that was inspiring - not very practical - but one never knows. Our grandson still surprises us, so we thought we would surprise him too. So I wrapped the glasses up and put a copy of the life sketches painting on the top under the bow. It was a unique gift - and he really liked it. 

Exactly Fifty Years Apart

We are exactly fifty years apart. It’s one way to remember how old he is. Our grandson is 17 and graduated from high school this past weekend. I was also 17 when I graduated from high school. We haven’t visited with him and his family since Christmas 2019. Because everyone is vaccinated, we decided to make the four hour road trip to central Virginia. It was like going from serious COVID restrictions in northern Virginia to a place in time before the pandemic. It was a great occasion to finally take the plunge, and it felt weird. In some respects it seemed like it had been over a year and a half, but at the same time it felt like just yesterday. It was a very rainy weekend but the weather finally turned in our favor for the event, although it was very cold - especially since the graduation was being held in an outdoor stadium. It’s also the first time I did not keep up with my daily blog entries. I just didn’t feel like for the first time in ten years. Our grandson has been a joy and is someone to be proud of. He was the salutatorian in a class of over 300+ seniors, excelling in math and advanced college studies. He also likes to cook, is outdoorsy, and plays at wrestling, baseball and track. He’s extremely polite and kind. So, we had a really nice time finally getting away for the weekend, and for a great reason. He will be attending UVA in Charlottesville and we are more than happy about it. Now that we are back home both my husband and I feel bewildered and out of it. I looked around for my high school graduation photos and sent off a few, along with his dad’s to make comparisons. The diplomas look exactly like they did back then. Some things never change. 

Graduation Art

Someone in our family is graduating from high school this month. He is the grandson that we lived down the street from on Capitol Hill. While I was working at the Library of congress, my husband would babysit - either at the house or after school. He would also drive him and his mom anywhere in town as the need arose. So we technically got to see this young man grow from about three to eleven years, until the family moved to central Virginia. Even then, his new home was four hours away so we still had and have a part in his life. But thanks to the pandemic we haven’t seen him in over a year like so many others. So I wanted to do something different for this upcoming milestone event and turned to digital art. I scoured all the photos of him and tried to pick one out for every year of his life. Then the portrait of his seventeen years was painted from infant to young man. It included all the events that typically occur in most kids lives - sports, holidays, broken arms, cooking, vacations, and things that are peculiar to him. That includes jumping fires for Persian new year as a well as Christmas. Not knowing which color pallet would be best, several options were made from the black and white prelim to the two color and multicolor ideas. I was really pleased with the way it turned out, ending up to include a path that connects the newborn to the young man. It was called “sketches 2003 - 2021.” Now all I needed to do was figure out the best way to share it. Stay tuned!