Musing on graduation and the coming weeks

I enjoyed the CAJ graduation yesterday. It is satisfying to see people achieve their goals. Somehow going to graduation at CAJ helps put the rest of the school into perspective. Though it is a tiny bit sad to think that this is the end of these students' involvement at CAJ and for some, the end of their family's involvement at the school too. I realised this morning that another OMF family has "graduated" and moved on from CAJ.

They did a good job of remembering the young man who died earlier in the week. It was sad, but sensitively done.

The best part was afterwards (when I wasn't trying to locate my family in the large crowd). Yummy food and drink and lots of people to talk to. The nicest thing was all the people who made wonderful comments about the Japan Harvest edition which they've been reading in the last week. Finally, it is in people's hands! Hopefully we'll hear some comments from overseas soon. I posted some on Tuesday, hopefully those will arrive soon and we'll hear what non-Japanese residents think - people who didn't experience the earthquake and its aftermath themselves.

But of course we were late to bed - the boys, especially. So everyone is a bit grumpy today. And crying "I'm bored." And school hasn't even finished yet (even though it feels extremely close, with last night all done)!

It is going to take some adjusting to: no school for seven hours a day. 

One part of me is looking forward to it because it means not getting up as early, having a bit more rest because almost all school-related things take a break and also, of course, having my husband home more of the time. 

Part of me isn't looking forward to it because we have to work harder at keeping the boys occupied and exercised (a vital part of raising boys). And the unrelenting heat of late July through to after school starts isn't fun.

And in the middle of all that my work continues: magazine editing, mission website enquiry answering, emails and the magazine style guide that I'm working on (though this isn't urgent). And my husband has two assignments due in July plus unlimited work he could do at school, he tells me. We simply cannot just take 11 weeks off! 

So, somehow we're going to have to find a new balance to our lives for those 11 weeks. That means a lot of give and take for everyone. Great life lessons, but not always easy.