On the morning of the last day

I'll write a proper post later, summarizing today and the past few action-packed days of this hectic, whirlwind week (but, then, aren't they all whirlwinds?). For now, though, as I watch the sun rise over Athens and enjoy my last few minutes of sit-down time before the day begins, I wanted to offer a few thoughts.

Today is the last day of the summer program at Fed Hock. Part of me can't believe that five weeks have already passed, and part of me is shocked that only five weeks have elapsed. It has been a busy, chaotic, intense, rewarding five weeks, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I am going to miss the kids; I know I will wonder about many of them over the remainder of the summer and into next school year. I'm going to miss the rest of the kitchen crew. Despite the myriad situations in which tensions rose and fell, we are a team, and what we accomplished on a daily basis is something to be proud of. I'll miss getting up every day (though I might not miss getting up at 5 AM) knowing that I'm changing a little corner of the world, knowing that I'm helping to provide nourishment to 50 kids. In speaking of nourishment, I refer mostly to the kind we whip up in the kitchen and excitedly plate at breakfast and lunch, but I know that we are also nourishing their brains, hearts, and souls, and that for many of them it means so much just that we are positive adults who are open to them, day in and day out.