The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

The front of Ben's shirt

Proud!

The back of Ben's shirt




The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself. Alan Alda


Creative...artistic...dreamer...imaginative...inspired... inventive...resourceful...ingenious... innovative...productive...this is Ben. He is on his own path to self discovery and being a part of his journey is a true gift.

Today I was downstairs as the children came in from the bus. I can usually tell who enters by the noise they make. Today all I heard was the door slam and "Babs, Babs, Babs", I did not hear footsteps...because Ben was floating in the door. Before I could raise my head he was in front of me...I do believe I was blinded momentarily by the smile on his face. He was proudly wearing a new blue shirt and beaming from ear to ear.

Several weeks ago Ben had entered a contest to design the shirt that his middle school would wear on a band trip to Florida. We had seen rough drafts as he designed it, but we were not on hand when he turned in the final drawing. Ben informed us that his drawing had won and that soon he would have the t-shirt to show us. Fast forward several weeks, meals..tears...laughter...drama...and the shirt was a distant memory (although I am sure not to my boy).

Today the shirt was delivered and Ben got to proudly wear it at school. It is absolutely amazing! Not being able to draw myself I am always awe struck when he sits down to doodle, his drawings tell a story. This shirt itself tells a story...from the palm trees of Florida... to the roller coaster at the park they are going to, he captured it all...not to mention it is a jamming color I would pick myself (I am sure I will "borrow" the shirt on the next dress down day).

I am one proud mom today...heck I am a proud mom everyday, who am I kidding. Being a teenager is hard, being a teenager in a house with 6 kids is even harder and being a teenager with two parents who are self proclaimed over achievers is next to impossible. Watching this young man dust himself off when he stumbles...tackle life with the tenacity of a pitbull...open his heart to the world...and mature into a young man is a gift, that I never take for granted. Life is a little sweeter today. La vida es buena.

It may never be easy but it will always be worth it.
Babs