As the dawn of a new year approaches, Kelsey returns to her dream of becoming a doctor someday to help and heal others, just like her doctors do for her.
We hope you have a wonderful new year ahead, wherever you are.
5th Grade Dreams
Category: Uncategorized
Your life is like a Kaleidoscope
The food recommendation is something new. We settled on an order from a local restaurant we rarely order from in the area. Our expectations were low, but we were happy to try something new.
The cookie that ended the night was simply perfect.
We were all amazed at this good fortune. The vibrant, ever-changing life we see is one we are proud of. We approach the start of a new school year and another unknown surge of the pandemic with fear and gratitude.
We wish you well and the colorful light that shines from our kaleidoscope.
14 years and counting
Love is patient. Love is kind… The words that ring true fourteen years later today. Love is all of those things and more. Love is truly remarkable when you think about it. The feeling you have to know that you have a partner that loves you unconditionally for better or worse.
Each day, we are grateful for each other.
Marriage is hard and challenging. When you find the one we feel fortunate to know that we have, we want to embrace it and share it. Sometimes, we need to walk away.
Whatever the case, we love and work through it.
We danced the tango and started our entry into married life with that dance in 2007. We have been dancing together ever since.
We could not have dreamed of the children we would have, how quickly they would grow, and how the pandemic would bring us all closer together.
We differ(ed) in opinion and comfort, but we managed to listen and grow.
We lost a loved one, and we needed to support each other and our family through this loss. You hear about this and read about it but cannot explain it or understand it until you live it.
We laughed, and we cried. We were grateful for the blessings we have.
We hope. We hope that you have someone in your life who sets your heart on fire, sees you at your best and feels proud, and comforts you at your worst.
To love, to marriage, and the happy pursuit of finding yours.
Happy 14! 🙂
THE MEANING OF LIFE
FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, ALMOST EVERYONE AT SOME POINT ASKS THE QUESTION, “WHAT IS THE MEANING OF LIFE?”
I KNOW THAT I HAVE. MANY ANSWERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN, BUT VERY FEW SEEM TO SATISFY.
OVER THE WEEKEND, I HAD THE MOST INSIGHTFUL AND RIVETING CONVERSATION WITH MY GRANDDAUGHTER KELSEY. AS ALL OF YOU KNOW FROM READING OUR BLOGS, KELSEY IS WISE BEYOND HER YEARS. MOSTLY, SHE ACTS LIKE A TEN-YEAR-OLD LITTLE GIRL. HOWEVER, ON THOSE OCCASIONS WHEN SHE OPENS UP, SHE IS TOTALLY UNBELIEVABLE.
SITTING ON MY DECK OVERLOOKING THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET, SHE ASKED ME, “MOM-MOM DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF LIFE?”
NOT WANTING TO DISAPPOINT, I ANSWERED WITH MY INTERPRETATION, “NOW.” I SAID, “I BELIEVE THE MEANING OF LIFE IS NOW BECAUSE IT IS ALL WE HAVE.”
SHE LOOKED AT ME AND SAID, “THAT’S A GOOD ANSWER, BUT I HAVE A BETTER ONE.” I COULD NOT IMAGINE WHAT SHE WAS GOING TO SAY, BUT I SAID, “OK, LET’S HEAR IT.”
MAGNIFICENTLY AND MATTER OF FACTLY, SHE SAID, “THE MEANING OF LIFE IS LIVE IT!”
I WAS STUNNED AND AMAZED AT THIS TEN-YEAR-OLD ANSWER TO WHAT HAS BEEN PONDERED BY THE GREATEST MINDS OF ALL TIME. YES, I SAID, LIVE IT!
IN THIS VERY UNSETTLING TIME IN OUR LIVES, LET’S LISTEN TO THE WORDS OF KELSEY AND JUST LIVE IT!
Wonder and Worry
The Olympics close, and school will soon be here. Where has the summer gone, we wonder? While the warm air still surrounds us, the fall winds will soon be in front of us. We look ahead, and we worry.
We worry about the next few months. We worry about vaccinations, health, and masks. We worry about Kelsey’s health and the challenges the next few months could bring. We worry about changes for our son and how we will face them.
With all the worry, this week, we looked closely at the worry surrounding us and found something else more powerful, wonder. We worry, yet we wonder and notice that wonder surrounded us often.
We wonder how our world is in this state. We wonder how the pandemic surges on in a manner potentially worse as we face another school year. We wonder how we will do it. We wonder how our kids will do and how they will thrive.
We realize that we will be resilient, and we will make it through stronger once again.
Kelsey wondered about creating a new game. We worked on a few different trials, and eventually, she made a fun game with patterns, multiplication, and dice. In her spare time,
Kelsey also started writing a book called “Adventure Awaits” to capture her imagination and the bright future she dreams of in the days ahead.
Kelsey continues to sing and write songs about the summer, her joys, and her fears.
We wonder how our worry turns into wonder when we look around to find it.
May you find joy and wonder today.
Watching the Olympics – By Kelsey
Watching the Olympics is really something. You go through a set of sports and you watch athletes push to their limits and change their position. To see people who show off their skills and what they can do at such a young age is just amazing.
When you watch the Olympics, you think, “one day I want to be like that.” For example, when I was watching swimming, Bobby Finke was in fifth place. Like a rocket in two races, 800 meters, and 1500 meters, he took first place in the final 50 meters (which is the last lap). That inspires me. That was amazing. Fight hard like Finke…
The Olympics makes me feel like, in life, sometimes you have a bad day. But that day can turn into a great week, even the best week of your life.
Take Simone Biles. She chose herself instead of the Olympics or a medal. What courage. And then she got back up on the beam and won a bronze medal. Think about what that medal must mean to her and how she felt standing there on the podium. Suni Lee, Jade Carey, and all of those women who crushed it. They are awesome.
They amaze me.
That tells me that everyone who is not 100% can be 100% tomorrow or in the generation of tomorrow. This is why I think the Olympics are a great competition to watch. Be amazing at whatever you do today.
@robert_finke
@simonebiles
@jadecareyy
@sunisalee_
#teamUSA
Thank you
Thank you for all who supported Kelsey’s Kaleidoscope, Inc. at Woodcrest Country Club this week. We are grateful for your generosity.
Golf Outing – 7/26/21
Monday, July 26, 2021
Woodcrest Country Club
300 East Evesham Road
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
9:00 Shotgun start with an elaborate BBQ lunch immediately following
Breakfast and registration start at 8:30 AM. The shotgun start begins at 9:00 AM. Our expected finish time and the start of lunch is expected by 1:00 PM
$185 per golfer
RSVP – newviewforpan@gmail.com
Pride
As parents, we have moments of great pride when our children succeed. The past week has been an exciting one for Kelsey’s brother. He attended his first “graduation” of sorts, won accolades, received and signed a yearbook, and dealt with conflict. His hard work, effort, and dedication in an uncertain year have been commendable. His academic achievements have amazed us during his time in elementary school and showcased the start of a bright future ahead.
However, his ability to learn by example and work through challenges has been something we are all proud of him for this year. He has learned life’s hard lesson that it will not always be easy, but it will be worth it in the end. He has learned how to be brave. He has learned that grief hits you hard at times, and it is a process. He has learned that hard work takes you far. He has learned that hard work is not always popular. He has learned that we believe in him. He has learned to believe in himself. He has learned that we are proud of him every day. He has learned that expressing himself can be difficult, but it is important.
The 2020-2021 school year has left its mark on many. For Kelsey’s brother, it was a year of growth, maturity, and resilience. A new chapter soon begins for him, and we are beyond proud of him.
Remote Resilience
This fall, with the world at odds and isolation orders increasing by the day, our family made the decision to keep Kelsey safe as a remote learner. We were uncertain, we were unsure, and we were scared. We can only imagine that so were her teacher and all of the school staff involved in making the decision to offer fully remote instruction.
Kelsey is social by nature, the helper in class, and an engaged learner. How would she learn from a computer? How would the teacher engage her students? How would she cultivate friendships and a sense of community? How would this work?
We trusted our educators and we believed in Kelsey. We spoke positively and openly when struggles emerged. We learned about her classmates at dinner and watched new friendships develop in breakout rooms and snack breaks.
We watched confidence soar in reading and had a difficult time keeping her bookshelf stocked. We watched a social child happy across the screen. We realize there were imperfect days and moments, but we watched a year on a Chromebook provide access, conversation, and content.
In-person projects were mimicked or recorded, and remote classrooms were also considered as part of the school.
As we close this elective remote year, we reflect often on learning leaps and gains. This year has shown a year of resilience and progress for Kelsey. We hear about the challenges many have faced this year, and we are grateful that our choice for remote instruction was a gift for Kelsey. We appreciate her teacher and all efforts made to effectively teach our daughter in a way we never thought possible before 2020.
To educators everywhere, we thank you and we appreciate you.
Be brave and enjoy your well-deserved break ahead!