Endings and beginnings

Well it's an empty room. I leave the room as I entered it all those years ago....well almost. The big shelving unit at the back came with me, but stays. The lockers on the right came with me too, but they will stay (and eventually get recycled as they are in rough shape)

I arrived yesterday morning around 7:30 and packed the remaining 20 or so boxes. The caretakers and I moved all my stuff out to the hall to await the movers. The new resident of the school came and dropped some stuff off (that you can see on the counters and shelves at the back).

I stood here from the doorway for several long minutes. There was a lot of living in this room. A lot of learning. SO much laughter. I knew every nook and cranny of this room (and the school). Every sound. I grew as a teacher, a colleague, and a person. The hours I spent here...nights...weekends.

There was a few tears and then I made myself leave. It really don't feel quite real yet.

I headed over to my new school and got my keys. My new room is empty. There was a LOT of shuffling of teachers around as people were bumped from room to room. They worked hard and I appreciate it.  My new room is a lot smaller, and I do not have control of my own heat and AC. My hot flashes will miss that. My new room windows do not open. I will miss that too.  Now I just have to wait for the cleaning staff over there to do their summer cleaning, and for the movers to take my stuff over, and then the unpacking begins.

When I moved into the above room I spent a LOT of my summer there, unpacking, settling in...getting comfortable in my new dwelling. I expect to do a fair bit of that too.  That will have to wait for a week or two I am told.

So for a week or two, I have summer. Time to rest..to let the vibrating in my head stop.

After I was off work I went for lunch with a friend (whom I used to work with before, and will, now, again). She treated. I hit the library for  a few books and I went to the recycling depot to take bottles in. I now have $30 to add to my mini goal. Woo hoo!

I came home to an odd feeling of no pressure and nothing to do. Don't get me wrong. My house is  a disaster...there is lots to do.

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DS2 and I worked on thank you card for his two academic awards from Grad. $500 total. He graduated with a bilingual diploma with High Honours. I am very proud of him. We had mass in the morning, then the awards in the afternoon.  We went for supper as a family along with my parents, my aunt and uncle, my three sisters, 3 cousins and his scout leader and his wife. (I had saved for this :-) 

This pic is almost a duplicate of DS1's grad hat toss, except that DS1's class did balloons too. They threw their hats before we even  got out there so I stole this pic from one of his teachers.

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Last night we had a fire around our little fire pit. It seems a bit sacriligeous given the incredible number of forest fires in the north right now, but it is  a family ritual. Just the four of us, and the two cats. It was our last night as a family of four all at home.

 DS2 left this morning for his scout camp. He will be home now and again during the summer, but won't really even be home to stay, again. I now have both my boys on rented time with me. I was glad it was dark. I cried a little bit. DS1 sensed it and turned to his brother, "She's doing it isn't she?"  DS2, "Of course she is. Are you new?" They laughed together.

(The are you new is a joke between the three of us meaning 'are you new to the family?' ....did you expect otherwise?)

And so the day begins (albeit at 11:15 as I type this)  and so does summer.

As I sit here sipping my coffee, in my housecoat. Time to plan for the summer.