I hadn’t planned on writing my blog this summer, but this week was too good to pass up. It was a different kind of week, with school on Monday, the 4th of July holiday on Tuesday, and the beginning of our new climbing structure’s installation early Wednesday morning. Needless to say, it’s been an exciting week.
As I write this, the structure is still being assembled, although many of the features, including one of the slides, the climbing panel, and musical feature are already in place. We’ve all enjoyed watching the process, which began with moving a LOT of sand on Wednesday morning. We wanted the kids to be able to watch the process, and the workers quickly established their work space with caution tape so everyone would stay safe. As children arrived, the lineup of interested children and teachers grew.
Backdropping the construction project, our apple tree was ready for harvesting. Bowls of apples have already been distributed, and many children sat watching the climbing structure take shape as they munched on freshly picked apples this week. The entire situation brought up an array of thoughts and feelings for me.
I feel deep appreciation for all the generous donors who made the whole project a reality. I am thankful for the board members who guided our fundraising efforts, and to the people at Exerplay for patiently giving us the time and space to figure out what we needed and could manage financially. I’m grateful for the teachers who have been flexible with all of the changes and improvements this summer, and for embracing this week’s project with heartfelt enthusiasm. And finally, I feel honored to have spent the last 46 years of my life cultivating and immersing myself in the Seed community. We’ve released generations of Seeds into the world, and they are already having a significant impact on Planet Earth.
We still have work to do, and this week of harvesting apples and witnessing a dream magically materialize before our eyes will give the Seed a big boost in the coming years. The imaginations of our students who will play on our new structure will grow in new and expansive ways. Their play will evolve through the seasons of the children’s lives, like the apple tree offering its bounty each year. Our new climbing structure is a gift to the children of Awakening Seed, elevating what we can offer to our students, and what they, in turn, will give back to the world.