Diamonds

Me and all of my diamonds!

This morning as I stood outside waiting for the dogs to refresh themselves I gazed out onto the snow covered ground and watched the moonlight reflect like diamonds all over my yard. It was beautiful. I found myself wondering if anyone else could see this. Had this precious moment taken anyone else's breath away? Was I the only one able to see this quiet miracle? Did anyone else perceive this as something special?

 Yesterday, there was a parent meeting at my girl's high school. I like to go to these meetings so that I can get up to date information about what is going on and what is coming up at the school. When I arrived at the meeting I saw a good friend of mine already there and seated and I scrambled to sit with her. My friend has been a strong supporter of the school district for a long time and I always enjoy her insight on what is going on in and around our small town. We chatted about random things until the meeting started. Throughout the meeting we would lean towards each other commenting on topics that were being discussed. Both of us have been through these meetings for many years and we both have very strong feelings about what we consider good and bad when it comes to education and schools.

 Towards the end of the meeting I shared with my friend that I was planning on talking with the principal about a teacher one of my daughters has that seems a little power happy and maybe not as focused on raising my child's morale (and others) up as she is on tearing her morale down. My friend shared that she was done with that, she said she felt like she had exhausted that route and she was disillusioned with the school and the district. Not only that, she also shared that someone had recently shared with her information about her son that had disheartened her and she had lost her faith in scholastic testing (ACT/SAT etc.) and essentially the school system.

 This conversation bothered me. I love my friend she is a driven, loving mother who puts her kids first. She has stepped up to go to bat for her kids several times and each time has come away feeling a little more like she did not get a home run. After so many times up to bat she has given up and is frustrated by a system she once worked so hard for. But, here is the thing…not everyone sees the diamonds we see. Sometimes the reflection from a different direction is not as clear as ours is. This is when you need to help others move to a new viewing location.

You may not get the results you want right away, but don't give up. My children are my diamonds and I want them to leave school with the same shiny finish that they went in with. I am determined to be the burr in the saddle until there is a clear understanding of what is expected. I have always kept my expectation bar the same for all of my children and will not allow anyone to lower my child's bar. These diamonds that I am mining are the most expensive cut and they are precious. No one has a right to lower their value. I may be the only one that can see the miracle that they are but that does not make them any less valuable to me. My children still sparkle from every direction from where I stand. I hope that others can see it too, but if not then to bad, because I am a determined jeweler with nothing but time to insure a perfect finished product.