Graduating

Last summer Isabel claimed the storage space under the front stairs. She washed the concrete floor with semi toxic chemicals with exhaust fans roaring. She convinced her father to go paint shopping and painted her bedroom ceiling with 6 different test swatches. She primed. She painted. Many discussions. This coincided with the beginning of senior year and in retrospect - it demonstrated her desire to hide forever in our house in the woods. All happening while she started a new highschool +20 miles away - with a 45 minute van ride twice daily.

And yet she has had such growth in the last 6 months: volunteering at a hospital, taking the SATs, applying and being admitted to college, planning to go to Thailand in July to work with elephants. Going to the prom.

The hiding space has been abandonned for several months. Last night I moved the displaced suitcases and rollar blades back to there storage space while contemplating the symbology of it all.

And we went to the lcoal high school award program since she got an award for her volunteering. And all the beautiful young ladies and men - full of the future - were charmingly cool and sure in their place as they made their way across the stage. But Isabel, dressed in a marigold tunic from our visit to Mumbai, with gold high tops, ran to the stage and turned to the audience and waved and smiled broadly - working the crowd as only she can.