STRUGGLING WITH SERENDIPITY
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a perfect job

11/21/2018

6 Comments

 
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In mid-December, my oldest daughter packed a suitcase for her flight to Boston after her last day of student teaching in Tiffin, Ohio. Maria had applied for teaching jobs and followed up with direct phone calls to ask for an interview. Her assertiveness, a skill I struggled with, landed her an interview in Cambridge.
 
Maria flew by herself for the first time into Logan airport.
           
She slept on a futon chair in Beth’s dorm room and rode the subway by herself to the interview. Maria tapped into her passion for teaching children with disabilities. After, the sisters met for dinner at Bertucci’s in Harvard Square before they flew home together. A few days later, Maria accepted the job as a lead teacher in the Cambridge Public Schools’ Special Start program for preschoolers with a disability. The position would begin in a few weeks, in early January. I was proud of her and excited for her, though I also would miss her.
           
Maria had decided to be a teacher when she was a preschooler.
 
At her first library story hour with no parents, the librarian told me how Maria found her way onto the storyteller’s lap. At home, her little sister Beth was her student. In grade school, Maria loved to help in her dad’s classroom during summer school.
 
Maria declared that we would live together forever in our Tiffin home, happily-ever-after.
 
A decade later, she planned her move to Boston while John and I prepared to sell the only home our kids had known. Our last Christmas living in Ohio embraced nostalgia. We watched The Princess Bride, again, and made popcorn. We played N’Sync Christmas music while we wrapped presents. Ben visited, and we laughed at old videos the girls called “baby tapes.” One of our favorites showed Ben, 5, pulling his little sisters on a blanket around the dining room table. A giggle fest. The video captured a perfect silly afternoon. At the Vermilion farmhouse for Christmas, we connected with extended family and met new babies.
           
Beth rang in the New Year with her best friends, Lizzy and Ellen, for the last time.
 
It was a recap of fondue and favorite movies, including Elf and the Grinch. They still laughed so easily. I admired the young women they’d become.
 
Next: A New Beginning!
6 Comments
Esther Merves
11/22/2018 01:06:27 pm

I am grateful to know you, Cindy! Thanks for sharing your family stories with the world. Happy Thanksgiving to you and the entire family. My big sister also knew at a young age that she was destined to be a teacher and my mom often commented on how she would delay in responding to a request by saying "I haven't dismissed my class yet."

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Cindy Kolbe link
11/23/2018 07:57:32 pm

Thank you, Esther! Teaching really is a calling. I have so much respect for teachers. Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, too!

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Amy Henry link
11/22/2018 03:44:09 pm

So great to hear about Maria's life in more detail here. Big transitions for you all.

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Cindy Kolbe link
11/23/2018 08:05:37 pm

Yes, there were many transitions and lots of serendipity. Thanks, Amy!

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Jason Rhode link
11/28/2018 10:00:28 am

Oh, I love disabled rugrats with their tiny chairs and walkers! What an opportunity for Maria!

Reply
Cindy Kolbe link
12/5/2018 09:16:53 pm

Yes, it was a great opportunity, and she made the most of it!

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