Everyone loves finding new things, and I guess I'm no exception. Occasionally, in my organized chaos, the "new things" I discover are actually the re-discovery of something long-forgotten, and sometimes those are the best finds.
This happened a lot as I was growing up because we moved quite often. My father wasn't in the military, he just got bored. A lot. Which meant a new home -- and occasionally a new school -- for us about every three to four years. By the time I graduated from high school, I had lived in 13 houses in 5 states, and attended two elementary, middle and high schools. I carried that through my adult life, as well. In fact, I jokingly told a friend the other day that in August, when my kids and I hit our 5-year mark on the house we currently live in, I will have attained a new personal record -- the longest stay in any one house.
All that moving has meant ample opportunity for rediscovery. It seemed with each moved something was found -- and several "somethings" were lost. But because each move was separated by years (with the exception of two, both of which occurred less than a year after the previous), the findings were new again: once it was a small crystal jewelry box my grandmother had given me; another time it was a stationery set with my name embossed at the top -- a rare find, by the way, for a child named Molly in the 1970s.
Like many people told me during the geocaching Easter egg hunt on Saturday, one of my greatest discoveries, however, is my children. I have enjoyed discovering who my children are, watching them develop into their own person with their own dreams and characteristics. We have rules, and they are expected to live by them, but they are also allowed to grow into who they are, and that has been an incredible journey. My son has gone from a shy little boy to a young man with the courage to be himself; my daughter is growing into a social butterfly with heartfelt concerns about the environment and how it affects those around her.
Self-discovery is wonderful, but watching your kids discover who they are is even better.
Look for Carly here next week as she goes to the Beatles tribute and asks people what they think the best Beatles song is.