Saturday, June 2, 2012

A Rare Saturday Post

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!

If it were up to me and me alone, I would have a Sunday post. I would have all my laundry caught up each and every day. I would never have a dirty kitchen. And I would be able to wear skinny jeans.

However, my life is being run by two teenagers and a twenty-something man-child. It is not my own.

And I don't want to miss a minute.

I'll be back in the morning with Mindless Monday and the last installment (for now) of Josh's Journey!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Good Saturday morning!

Or should I say, "Good LATE Saturday morning!"

I didn't have to take Roxie to practice at 8:00 this morning, and there were no other "places to be" on the horizon, so I've been moving slowly.

Mike and I just finished watching today's rerun of The Pioneer Woman... and I now want him to grill tenderloins. But he and Josh have other plans. It's a fishing day around here. And a Chick day for Austin. And a laundry day for The Enchanting Belinda. Does it get any more "simple" than that?

I didn't think so.

Josh's Journey - 12th Grade - I'm here on a Saturday to share Part 2 of Josh's 12th Grade Year. Yesterday we talked about finding our new/old doctor. Today I'll be talking about school.

While the material wasn't difficult for Josh, actually putting pen to paper was sometimes impossible.

There were several different periods during the school year Josh couldn't make himself go to specific classes and we did the "check-out/check-in" thing again. The classes he couldn't attend changed as the year progressed. It was never one class the entire year, and thus, he was able to keep his grades up, but not as easily as 9th and 10th grades.

Missing days and assignments from one class for a week or two meant making As on any and all other assignments and tests during the nine-week period to "maintain" a good grade point average. There were many times he pulled a D or a C up to an A or a B the last two or three weeks of the grading period. And that was extremely stressful.

It was during this time, Josh decided he "couldn't" attend college. School had been such a drain over the past six years, and high school had been a particularly negative experience for him for so many reasons. In his mind, college would just be a repeat of what he had been trying to survive the past four years.

As hard as it was for us, Mike and I agreed, but in return we wanted him to try to graduate with as high a grade point average as possible. If and when Josh did want to go to college, we wanted him to have as many options and choices as he could possibly have.

Josh was also eager to get a job, move into an apartment and start a different phase of life. Mike and I understood his desire, and that is when Mikie came up with "The Plan."

1. Josh would need to work part-time/full-time for an entire year. He would pay rent and utilities to us, and we would put the money back for him to use as his deposit for an apartment or other living space at the end of the year.

2. We also asked him to take at least one class at a two-year college in the Fall and one class in the Spring to see the differences between college and high school. We wanted him to be with people his own age.

3. We told him we wanted him to start visiting other churches to "start over" with new people his own age. And we hoped and prayed having fellowship with a new group of people would make attending church more inviting while he was still dealing/struggling with his scrupulosity.

Josh was excited about The Plan, and agreed to the terms.

Josh was in the Top Twenty of his graduating class.

Josh was in National Honor Society.

Josh was in Tri-M (Music Honor Society).

Josh didn't attend Senior Awards Night or the Senior Robing Ceremony, but he did walk across the stage on the 24th day of May to receive his Alabama High School Diploma with Advanced Academic Endorsement with Distinction.

And Mike and I sat frozen in our seats waiting and watching for this miracle to take place... six years in the making.





I'll finish off this part of Josh's Journey tomorrow with my side of the story. You knew I had a side, didn't you?

I hope you have a great Saturday.

I'll talk to you tomorrow (probably after lunch).

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

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