Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.
Dr. Seuss
Carter turned 12 on November 26, 2019. He celebrated his birthday over several days . . . party with friends from school, dinner with Stella and Papa and Grandma Jones, breakfast with neighbors, and a trip to see Coach D.
Turning 12 brought the start of middle school. Middle school brought running cross country and playing basketball for the school’s team, changing classes, going to dances, and ending tutoring after several years with Mrs. Encoe, 1/2 way through the school year. All of these things show everyone just how grown-up Carter has become.
To say that this year got off to a ROUGH start is an understatement. In November, Papa Jones died while visiting our house over Thanksgiving. In January, COVID-19 broke out, causing shelter-at-home orders to go into place in mid-March, lasting nearly three months. And in May, due to yet another black man dying at the hands of police, riots erupted across the entire United States.
This year also . . . .