June 14

Today, Abby finished the third grade. She had a good year, despite being charged with the daunting challenge of learning to live without her best friend. There were many people who aided in making the past months a positive experience for her, and though she'll probably be really (really) embarrassed when she sees this, this is one of them, Abby's teacher:

She impressed me from the outset when she called me before school started in August and listened to me ramble on about Logan and our family and my thoughts on how the experience might affect Abby over the months to come. And that continued throughout the year, as I chattered on about random subjects and she just... let me. And paid attention. And asked questions. Everyone likes to feel valued, and she may have been my kid's teacher, but she did an amazing job of making that happen for me many times. In my learning-to-live-again mode, I just needed someone to hear me, and I was surprised to find that she was that kind of person.

Even better, I never worried about Abby while she was at school. After Sandy Hook, I remember telling her I'm not worried... I know you do the best you can do. And while parents all around me were freaking out, I meant it.

I could go on and on, because that's often what I do, but I'll wind this up by saying that I saw God in her many times this year. And for all of those times (and for the ones still to come), I'm very thankful.