and it ended better than anyone of us had imagined.
after 4 weeks of swimming, surfing, kayaking and running,
it was time for graduation ceremonies.
c was in san francisco on business, so i worked from home to make
it easier to shuttle the kids to and from camps and so that i could
attend finn's junior guards graduation ceremony.
i gathered at the lifeguard headquarters in mission bay with dozens of
other parents to learn about what our kids had been up to the last several weeks,
and to watch some kids receive a 'special achievement' award. I should note kids
are divided into three groups, 9-12, 13-15 and 16-17 year olds.
i was only half listening as they went through several group of kids, but when finn's instructor,
mr. gaudet, came to the microphone, i perked up. his first award went to a young girl who
was terrified of the ocean but overcame it. after she walked off stage, mr. gaudet continued
with "this young man...{that got my attention because it eliminated half the kids in his group
because they were girls}.
scout and i, who were sitting under a palm tree pretty far away, made our way closer to the
stage so we could see and hear better. mr. guadet went on to say that the young man showed up
and worked hard every day and was determined to improve. he always asked questions -
very specific ones, about how to do something and after he would do it,
he'd come back out of the water and want a thorough critique".
mothers know their children well....that's our job...and this description sounded exactly my son.
i said to scout "i think he's talking about finn" and he shrugged his shoulders unsure but watched
more intently.
sure enough. he called finn gerber up on stage. i watched a huge grin form across his
little face and he was easy to follow as he was wearing his huge JG issued straw hat.
{kids get a choice of a trucker hat or a large brimmed straw hat}. he was presented a medal
for 'Most Improved Junior Guard' in his group. scout and i cheered for him...
extra loud since dad wasn't there to join in.
for finn to get this award is a HUGE deal, not because his dream is to be a lifeguard,
but because the odds were against him. he is small for his age and he isn't a natural athlete.
he'd much rather use his brain over his brawn any day, so pushing his body every day to this
level of workouts was intense for him. he came home every night sore for 4 weeks, but excited
that he could do a few more push-ups than he had a week earlier. he pushed himself hard and it
was wonderful to see him recognized for it. i have a feeling he will never forget this day.
~ as we were walking to the car after the ceremony,
finn announced he was going to do jr. guards every summer until he turns 16.
he said "as much as i like it, it's not my passion and i don't want to be an intern
with the san diego lifeguards". {it's a paid position}. he told us he's going to work at
the science museum and help with the kids' camps. i smiled and told him that sounds
like the perfect job for him as a teen.
