#SOL21 For all the times

It is the last week of the 20-21 school year and I am crawling to the finish line. Part of my "to-do" list in this last week is to give gifts to all the people who have made this year memorable, including my students, my colleagues, and my own children's teachers. But as I shopped and put gifts together, it dawned on me that there was an extremely important person I was forgetting to thank- my mom.

My mom has come every school day by 7:15 am to help my kids get ready for school while I head off to work. She does it with love and generosity.  In the cold, dark winter and every season in between. When we got our puppy in December, she added much work to her day by puppy sitting for most of the school day. If she hadn't wanted to help, I don't know how we would have figured out life with our puppy. Not only did she agree to help our puppy , she completely fell in love with him and treated him like a new grandchild!  Besides all that, she often does loads of our laundry. She buys groceries when we run out of items the kids always need. She makes Alex and Megan feel happy and loved every day before they go to school. She is Teddy's favorite friend. 

I just can't say how much my mom does for us. I tried to capture it with the following poem, which I will give her tomorrow with some grateful gift cards too for fun summer shopping. She deserves it all and more. 
Here is the poem I will give her: 

For all the times you woke up in the early morning to get to us by 7:15,
For the countless lunches and snacks you packed,
For all the notes and drawings you made on brown bags,
For the masks you put on mask holders and set out near backpacks
For all the chrome books you unplugged and packed
For all the hair you brushed and styled
For all the socks you set out near sneakers
For all the breakfasts you made and glasses of orange juice you poured
For all the walks across the street in all weather
For all the laundry you sorted and washed
For all the baskets of laundry you folded
For all the groceries I ran out of and you replenished
For all the costumes you put together when I needed them at the last minute
For all the love and care you gave when puppy Teddy arrived
​For all the walks you took Teddy on 
For all the poop you had to scoop
For all the chicken you cooked and shredded for him
For all the times you tossed his snake, playing fetch
For all the afternoons you stayed in my house so Teddy wouldn’t be lonely
For all the times you listened and gave encouraging words
For all the times you came up with a solution for every problem. 
For all the times you came to soccer games and special events 
For being the glue that held us together 
For all the unseen acts of love and kindness you perform each day
We couldn’t do this without you 
We love you and are so grateful for you. 
Thank you for helping us through this pandemic school year.
Happy Summer Vacation! 

Alex. Megan and Teddy at the end of the 20-21 school year.