MINNESOTA, USA: The Bittersweet Reality of Back to School

The letter arrived in the mail on Saturday.  There it sat, long, white and unopened.  My heart skipped a beat.  No, it wasn’t the anticipated college acceptance or rejection letter.  Nor was it a job offer or denial.  It was the letter that would represent my young son’s future:  His teacher assignment for first grade.

I opened it up quickly with mixed feelings.  Who would it be?  Would it be who I wanted?  Would his newly made friends from Kindergarten be in his class?  Or, would he be all alone, faced once again to meet new friends? 

As I read the letter, these thoughts raced through my mind, but a deeper, more powerful reaction took over my mind.  (more…)

Nicole Melancon (USA)

Third Eye Mom is a stay-at-home mom living in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her two children Max (6) and Sophia (4). Her children keep her continually busy and she is constantly amazed by the imagination, energy and joy of life that they possess! A world wanderer at heart, she has also been fortunate to have visited over 30 countries by either traveling, working, studying or volunteering and she continues to keep on the traveling path. A graduate of French and International Relations from the University of Wisconsin Madison, where she met her husband Paul, she has always been a Midwest gal living in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Chicago. This adventurous mom loves to be outside doing anything athletic (hiking, running, biking, skiing, snowshoeing or simply enjoying nature), to travel and volunteer abroad, to write, and to spend time with her beloved family and friends. Her latest venture involves her dream to raise enough money on her own to build and open a brand-new school in rural Nepal, and to teach her children to live compassionately, open-minded lives that understand different cultures and the importance of giving back to those in need. Third Eye Mom believes strongly in the value of making a difference in the world, no matter how small it may be. If there is a will, there is a way, and that anything is possible (as long as you set your heart and mind to it!). Visit her on her blog, Thirdeyemom, where she writes about her travels and experiences in other lands!

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