What's In Your Yearbook?

My son Eric is polishing off the waning days of his Freshman year of high school. Between studying for finals and saying goodbye to teachers and buddies, a major pastime this week has been collection of signatures in his first high school yearbook.

Since I just attended a 25th high school reunion last year, I know how long-lasting the effects of those signatures can be. In our pre-reunion preparations, of course my girlfriends and I dragged out our old yearbooks and combed through the pages of those "good old days". The highlight was reading what our friends had thought about us way back when. I was "too cool", "awesome" and "super fun"! Friends told me to "have a blast at ND" and that my high school boyfriend and I were "such a cute couple" who would be "together forever!!!" Some of those predictions came true (the ones about me having a blast at Notre Dame) and others fell short (I'm now a "cute couple" with my husband of 21 years!).

Today, Eric and I were driving home from school. I was asking the usual "open-ended prompting" mom-type questions like, "How did you feel about your geometry final?" But my fifteen year old was decidedly distracted by his yearbook. He was reading a long, sprawling signature that covered most of the page. Since I'm blind without my reading glasses, my furtive attempts to glance sideways and read it while driving were futile! But I did manage to sneak a peek (with his permission!) once we got home. Turns out, that very long signature was from his English/Religion teacher! Reading her sentiments about the respect and educational bond she has built with my son this year brought tears of pride and thankfulness to my eyes. How special for Eric that he will look back years from now and be able to recall a relationship with a teacher who helped formed his mind and heart back in his "good old days".

As a grown up and a mom, I'd love to have a yearbook for this past year. It would show all the events of my life since September: the continued growth of my web site, my fledgling attempts at learning to write, the development of this blog, and lots of hours spent in school parking lots and next to fields and courts and stages. The pages would contain prayers said for my husband and my children and photos of how much we've all grown up this year. It would be signed by other moms from the school parking lot, by my wonderful family and siblings, and by cyber-friends (my new "BFF"s) with whom I've solidified relationships this year. These are my "good old days" after all!