"AND NOW FOR OUR NEXT ACT..."

SO NOW IT'S TIME FOR REAL COLLEGE.  Gotta get through this summer first.  Malachi made the Sunday paper above the fold, and they must really think his face can sell papers, because there is no Monday edition.

He called me from his grandparents' house to tell me he'd made the front page, and he sounded--well, humbled.  I was pretty shocked too.  I had thought the news photographer was taking his picture. I saw this expression from my vantage point, heard his deep bullfrog bellow of joy above all the others, too. We have a joke about his baritone making it impossible for him to whisper, and it's pretty much true. Sounded just like it looks in this picture, for sure! 

The day was surreal.  Of course, it rained, and now I have some terrible hair pictures for posterity, but I'll be okay.

I cannot believe it's over and done.  Turned out to be fifty-one college credits, not fifty-nine, but I'm not complaining.  Still will cut his college debt by two-thirds.  He's gotten a couple of scholarships, but he could have gotten more...procrastination is deadly, but now he is grown, and I'm done taking the important things out of his hands and giving them back completed.

Mom wore the same outfit to her sister's funeral--maybe her thoughts of making me out to be an incompetent mom were finally laid to rest.  I helped her through spinal fusion surgery, and she's just as grateful and happy about it all as she appears.  Poor Pop Pop.  Should have taken my advice....

This is Jerome.  That's his mom seated at the left.  Malachi's brother Ashton went out of his way for JJ, and I'm just as proud of him as I am of Mali.  See, JJ has been through even more stuff than we have; he's been on his own for about six months now, and his siblings, still in foster care, were not permitted to attend the young man's graduation.  We filled in, and I am so glad to know I have caring kids.

So now, on to the next chapter.  We slept in on Monday, but now it's back to business.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.