Senior Year of High School

“A Story To Tell” blog is born.  Sally and Mary both have blogs and they “dared” me to start one too.  Well, I am no where near the writers they are so believe you me, it takes a lot of courage to take them up on their dare.  I suppose I succumbed because maybe I do have a story to tell.  I have the privilege of living the “good life”.  A life that is good because I have the perfect husband (for me) and 3 wonderful children and a caring family and more friends than is fair.  And I have a good life because 7 months ago I met a homeless girl that touched my heart. 

Being a mom of a high school senior 3 times over must be one of the reasons that Jane kept hearing my name as she prayed to find someone to help Dawn with her college application process.  It feels arrogant to say that I was an answer to prayer but Jane must have told me that 3 or 4 times.  Jane phoned me to give a little background on Dawn and told to think about it for a few days before answering if I would like to help.  Of course I wanted to help her but I must admit I was selfishly thinking that, oh no, I’m going to fall in love with this girl and I won’t have the empty nest syndrome that Jim and I had just started enjoying. I’ll want her to come live with us because I am one thing for certain and that is a mother.  I will mother you whether you are my biological child, one of their friends, one of my friends’ children or a girl that I have just met.  Ask Katie. 

My youngest, Laura was entering her freshman year at UNC Chapel Hill.  Our oldest, James, was an Appalachian State graduate and a “booneranger” - term for those App State grads that go back to Boone, NC to live and our middle child, Leah, was a senior in the nursing program at UNC Chapel Hill.  The older two had been gone for a few years but this was our first taste of pure freedom and I wasn’t sure if I could give that up. 

Over the next week, Jane and I had a couple of conversations about Dawn.  One conversation in particular will never leave me.  Sally, Mary and I were leaving the Cleveland County Fair and ran in to Jane and Gary.  Gary was the principal at Burns when Dawn enrolled her sophomore year and was there throughout her junior year too.  He said that Dawn was such an awesome student that she would do her homework by candlelight.  I  remember thinking that I couldn’t believe that they thought that I was worthy of helping this child.  I didn’t feel worthy to breathe the same air as she.

Actually, between me and my best walking buddy, Sally, I had experienced 5 consecutive years of high school senior year.  James, David, Leah, Jay and Laura - in that order.  I knew about college applications, deadlines, college searches, college visits, and what kind of schools would be a good match for a certain kind of student.  All of our kids were pretty high achievers so Sally and I walked and talked many miles and discussed all the joys and disappointments of our children’s senior year and their college application / scholarship journey.  So when Jane called me and asked me to help Dawn with her college application process, I was still on a roll and knew I could help her.  And so begins “A Story To Tell”.