Creativity Abounds — Leah Love Notes

Jun 1

Jun 1 Creativity Abounds

Four kids. One son. Rising 6th grader. Total Prince.

Ollie is just one of these humans who channels the larger universal oneness. There is no other way to explain who he is or how he is. He's always been.

When his Dad and I were in a rough patch (we celebrate 15 years June 21!!), we picked him up one day from preschool at noon and went to a church in downtown Richmond. We'd been members of Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, but hadn't found our spiritual home in RVA yet. We were in DEEP need of higher guidance, and David's mother had mentioned many of her friend in the Fan District liked St. Paul's. So we went. Grasping at straws.

The main sanctuary was empty and gorgeous. Ollie popped a squat on the second or so row from the front with a lunchbox of snacks, goldfish and such galore. David and I went up to the front and stood crying and holding one another's hands. Literally standing where we would baptize all our four children and walk through for countless communions years later.

Searching for the humans we wanted to be and wanted to be married to. Hoping they all existed harmoniously in the people we were or wanted to be.

Out of nowhere we hear, "Forgive one another. Study Nature."

It was Ollie. And we listened to this 4-year-old's voice speaking wisdom from somewhere bigger than any of us.

Fast forward to May 2018. Ollie is 11-years-old and graduating from 5th grade at Maybeury Elementary. He's honor roll at school and home. He plays well with older kids and younger. His sisters adore him, older and younger. He's on the edge of moody teen, and I'm hopeful he will weather that as gracefully as his older sister has. (I'm happy to deal with the less graceful, too, from both - but golly won't I give thanks for the other while it's here!!)

Today I put my marketing consulting to the side and spent my babysitter hours volunteering at his school and Lola's Middle School. I just never knew how much volunteering was necessary to make school's tick harmoniously. Thank you to all the moms, dads, grandparents, etc. who volunteered throughout my youth, when I was clueless, and those of you who volunteered when I worked full-time and couldn't make the time. It's one of the many blessings of my chaotic current life-work-mom-wife-volunteer-human straddle.

Today I spent some of my volunteer time helping orchestrate a 5th grade graduation. Then did a run to a store for plates, napkins and chips for 240 middle school chorus singers. Then went back to the elementary with Charlotte and Emma to help facilitate the "Mallard Mall" where "good citizenship" bucks can be earned and spent on trinkets of all sorts.

Ollie came home with the coolest 3-D printer things he'd made at school (he's been saving for one for his own at home!) and this post needed to happen, as I was mid-planning for graduation stage idea board: