It is hard to believe it has nearly been a year since my last blog post—I am not sure if I have ever had this long of a gap between posts, but here we are!

So what has been going on?  In a nutshell, life!  In late April 2022, my father was unexpectedly diagnosed with diffuse large B cell lymphoma; specifically he has a genetic variation that is rare known as triple hit lymphoma.  I have been busy the last 10 months helping him navigate life with lymphoma and his Rituxan immunotherapy treatments as well as some other aging challenges.   In addition, I retired from public education in Georgia after reaching my thirty years of service.  I am grateful for the timing as my dad needs me, and I would not be able to teach full time in public school and take care of him as well.

While my last two months of school were a bit chaotic with my dad being hospitalized and trying to finish the school year, I was still able to experience moments of joy with my 8th graders in those final weeks.  I am also thankful to my colleagues at Chestatee Academy who were so supportive and helped make a challenging time easier.  I hope at some point to share some learning strategies and reflections that never made it to the blog during 2022-23 because school life and home life were all just too busy.

I am not sure what comes next week as life is very uncertain these days, but I just take things a week at a time and try to be proactive for whatever comes our way.  In the end, that’s all any of us can do as life has a way of throwing us curveballs at any time.  My goal is to find the silver linings and to see change as an opportunity for new paths and chapters.

If you are still reading this blog, I will try and tie up loose ends with some new blog posts that will focus on some learning strategies and ideas that were really powerful for me and my students.  Until next time, take care and be well!