We had a much needed all-day rain on Sunday, and two nights of big storms this week as well. The energy of the earth is shifting toward summer, but with some cool days still hovering, hasn't quite made it yet. We have a day and a half left of school, and as my three or four loyal blog readers know (come on Dad, would it kill you to leave a comment now and then?) on the day after school lets out, our family leaves on a BIG TRIP.

We're winding down and winding up.

I meet with a group of women for coffee and breakfast every Wednesday...well, the group meets each week and I make it there sporadically. I've been part of these women for about three years now, and the core group has been getting together for maybe six years (now maybe I'll get a comment as someone tells me how long it's really been!). Yesterday was our last of the year, and a birthday one to boot, so I really wanted to go. I don't always do my best in groups like this. In larger numbers I tend to retreat more than engage, but oh, imagine my joy when I was first invited to come along. Finally, finally that elusive feeling of belonging (It was a real Sally Field moment for me, I can tell you that much!). Not much has ever filled that junior high school hole in quite the way that these Wednesday morning meetings have.

Being there yesterday reminded me of how groups like this have a life of their own, really. This Wednesday-morning breakfast is its own living entity, has a heartbeat almost independent of the women who sit around the table. People move in and out of this weekly ritual, sometimes the crowd is intimate, sometimes we're pushing four tables together, always we're checking in, sharing stories and making plans. As we got up from the table yesterday, six of us were in the last days of the school year while one still had some days left to go, one of our husbands is about to be deployed, two of our children were "graduating" from the eighth grade, one of us jumps head first into a new job and four of us were getting ready to leave on trips. Safe travels everyone, happy summer.

First grade did their own celebrating yesterday, with a party for the volunteers who've helped out in the room. Neel got an invitation, and I callously barged my way in under the guise of "taking pictures." The kids worked hard on this event, and it was clear how proud and excited they were to open their class to the grown-ups. What a cliche, but where did the year go? Callum's had such an amazing experience at school, and one of my regrets about spiraling out of control this week (that BIG TRIP is looming, you know!), is that I haven't been able to really savor his last days of school. I'm dying to get a picture of him with his teacher, but she's elusive...kind of like a fairy with a distinct Susan Sarandon vibe. She opened up the world of learning for these kids, coated it with a layer of glitter and tossed it up in the air for them to catch. He caught that glowing, crystal ball and took off running with it. What a gift. Safe travels everyone, happy summer.