Hey friends! As promised, I’m back to share the last few updates from my summer. This past week, I shared part 1 where I talked about the months of June and July. But August and September have been eventful as well. I’ve mostly been focused on family, and it has been really good for me. Here’s what I’ve been up to.
August
Brook’s White Coat Ceremony
Last month, my younger sister Brooklynn received her white coat from her Physician Associate (PA) program. Over the last year, I’ve opted to stay local to be near my doctors and preferred hospital. But because of how close my sister and I are, I knew I had to be at her ceremony. I booked round trip tickets to Philadelphia and hopped on a plane with Lenny in tow. After all, if anything went wrong, a room full of experienced and budding health professionals down the street from Penn Hospital isn’t the worst place to be. Needless to say, she’s the only person I would get on a plane for right now.
My sister has overcome many odds to get into PA school. There are very few people who look like her in the field and in her program, plus to have such difficult course material be presented mostly online has been tough. But I have watched her persevere through everything that tried to stop her. She is officially in the midst of clinical rotations and will graduate next year. I know that she is going to be an incredible PA, and I’m so glad to have been able to celebrate this milestone with her and her classmates.
My 32nd Birthday
At the end of August, I turned 32. After the year I’ve had, I’m just glad to be here. Because we were returned from a trip the day before my birthday, I really wanted a chill day. My crew is wonderful and made sure I had the day I wanted. My best friends and sisters Gabby, Ana, and Jasmine (not pictured) brought food and came over to the house to help me organize and unpack. We laughed, worked, and had the best time. Unfortunately, we didn’t really get any pictures, but the memory is etched in my mind forever.
Having people in my life who care about my needs enough to do what makes me happy, even if it’s not “ideal,” is a gift. I am grateful to be loved so well by them.
September
Lenny’s Learning Time
Since Lenny turned two, I’ve seen his interest in learning explode. He wakes up every day pointing out letters, numbers, objects, and shapes. And he often pulls me to his room to play with him. So on September 1st, I decided to start spending 10-15 minutes on learning time.
Although I’m a certified teacher, I’ve never had classes in early childhood education. And I have not felt incredibly confident throughout this process, but I’ve been learning from other moms like Nyesha, Taylor, and Bianca. And honestly, I’ve learned that intentionality goes a long way. Just planning out a few useful activities for each day beats doing nothing. So we’re taking it one day at a time and trying to just have fun along the way. So far, so good!
Reconnecting with My Co-workers
For those who don’t know or are new here, I haven’t been in the classroom since October 2020. When I first received my diagnosis of Hypereosinophilic Syndrome, I was on such a high dose of immune-suppressing medications that it wasn’t safe for me to be around students or my coworkers. It was hard for me to leave because I absolutely loved my team. They welcomed me with open arms the year before when I was a new mom and knew nothing about teaching language arts. We would laugh all through lunch, cut up during meetings and just have a good time together. It was my first time having an all-Black, all-woman team, and it hurt to have to walk away.
But a couple of weekends ago, I was able to see my girls. It was the best reunion! I missed sending time with them, learning about their families, and hearing about their lives. Being in their presence was a perfect way to end my summer.
So that’s it. Those are the highlights of my season. Although some parts were good and some were not so good, I am grateful for it all. I am still here, still thriving and still growing. My family and friends are doing okay. And although the world feels a bit crazy, we must keep going. So I look forward to the beauty of fall. And to sharing more updates on what I’m up to with you.
Thanks for reading,
Brittany
