my 55th year going into my 56th year

55 was an interesting year.  In many respects it was wonderful.  Sarah, my oldest daughter, married Kyle on May 22.  It was beautiful.  As Kyle has three daughters, I instantly became a grandmother.  Strangely enough, my younger sisters and I, talked about the fact that out of the oldest four of our children, all married for the first time but married people who had children and we became instantly much larger families.  Michael married Kary last summer and she had two children and they have now added another.  Six years ago, Tommy married Michelle, who also had two children, and they too have added to their young family.  By the way, Michael and Tommy are the oldest children of my two younger sisters.  Kary and Michelle are sisters.  After Tommy and Michelle were married, they set up her sister with his cousin and the rest, they say, is history.  Erich, who is Tommy's brother, married Caity last year.  She has one other child, who is a pistol and darling and they too have added another baby to the mix. 

But there were many other things that went on from October 9, 2009 through October 8, 2010.  The schools we have chosen for our children failed them.  Lindsey, our middle daughter, was a Junior last year.  The music teacher was arrested, charged, pled guilty and was imprisoned for inappropriate sexual relationship with a couple of students over the last ten years.  The teacher that turned him was "not fired" but asked for his resignation.  The school said that he should have said something sooner.  As it turns out, he had, but his suspicions were brushed under the rug so to speak.  I have had communications with him and sadly to say, he has decided after much soul searching, to give up teaching.  He is an honorable man who got punished injustly.

So, like most cases like this, the school overreacted.  They gutted the music room and music program.  They hired some idiot who carry tune but had the common sense of a gnat.  Last year for Lent, this young woman told her students (it is an all girls school) that she was giving up unprotected sex for Lent.  Idiot.  On more than one occasion, she had used inappropriate language, including at a concert.  Personally, her most major crime was that two days before the Spring concert, she informed Lindsey that "even though your violin solo is perfect, I promised 'so and so' that she would have a singing solo, so you can't have your solo."  This was music that Lindsey had been playing and practicing for months and months and months.  When I called her on it, she said "well, Lindsey never indicated that it was that important to her.  But next year, as a senior, Lindsey will be able to do a senior solo"  Idiot.  A week after the concert and three weeks before the end of the school year, she was fired, not because of me, but, at the concert, she told a couple of the girls not to be so bitchy or she would fail them.  In front of some parents.  Idiot.

As I think I had mentioned at one point last year, at the end of October, we moved Zachariah from the school he had been attending.  The problem was that the four grade teacher (a good friend of the principal) couldn't teach her way out of a paper bag.  In nine weeks, she had assigned one science paper.  She couldn't spell and sent home ridiculous study guides . . . like name three of the four Great Lakes?  Boarder instead of Border was on the vocabulary study guide and was used to "identify two states the BOARDER Ohio."  Anyway, we knew that we needed to move him.  The problem, of course, was that Dave taught at that school. 

By March, Dave had decided that he would not be staying there.  The principal had made his life intolerable and he said that he could not continue under her administration due to a huge variety of reasons, none of which will be described here.  So when, she (who shall not be named) and the pastor called him in for contract signing, he said "I'm not going to waste your time or mine, I won't be back"  and walked out.  In many many respects, I was very proud of him.  On the other hand, I was getting panicked.  Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. 

Over the summer, he sent out a multitude of resumes and letters and inquiries.  He went on many interviews and such.  More than one person asked him why he left . . . and he always said to them, "well, its interesting that you are asking since my former principal and the pastor, never did" and he told them.  According to one of his former co-workers, the only negative thing the former principal told anyone that called was the she was "surprised and disappointed in how he quit."  How stupid is that?  He didn't wait until a week before school was to start.  He gave them enough notice.  They never asked why he was leaving or what could be done to retain him.  He had been there 12 years and was the senior person at the school.  On the other hand, he probably earned the most money too.  So, we all know how THAT goes.

On the upside, he was hired by a public school as a gifted and talented teacher.  Public schools in Ohio have substantially better and lower costs health care programs.  The pay is better than Catholic schools.  And he is getting credit for the years that he taught at the Catholic school.  He is teached 2nd grade, 16 students and they are smart.  Their parents are involved.  The principal is involved.  He is happy and making more money. 

And going back to being 55 . . . I have never had surgery.  My kids are adopted so I didn't do the whole labor or c-section or stitches, etc.  Nothing.  During my 55th year, I had my gall bladder removed in January, which I thought was an incredibly painful interlude but I was pretty much totally recovered within three weeks.  On October 1, I had a bunion removed.  And as much as I was in pain with my gall bladder, once it was out, the pain was pretty much gone.  This bunion thing . . . they scraped the one and removed some arthritis too . . . hurts like the devil.  Still.  And, from what I understand, it takes months before it will get to the point where it doesn't hurt.  Plus, while I was off, I was on Percoset.  I discovered loverly things about me and Percoset.  I cannot function.  I cannot read, write, knit or do much of anything else, except have drool drip out the side of my mouth and sleep. 

So I made it to my 56th birthday.  And the thing that was in the back of my mind as the day came and went and I was very excited to see the day go, was that my Dad died on my Mom's 56th birthday. 

So there you go.  Goodbye 55 and welcome 56.

And don't you love this background . . . this is what Cleveland is like this time of year . . . oranges and golds and reds and browns.  I love Fall.