A season of gratitude.
Seems like me & transitions just don’t mix. It was tough for me when I moved abroad. And since my move back to the states & to Boston five months ago, life has tried to take ya girl down! However, this Thanksgiving holiday was right on time as things have started to smooth out, allowing me an opportunity to reflect & give thanks for the many blessings I’ve received in the midst of it all. My mom is healthy, my new job & school is flourishing - life is good.
Pictured here: Me during the first day of school this year!
My last blog post was in July. I was flying high. New job. New city. Making new friends (sorry, Drake). All was looking up. And let me be clear—it still is. I cannot wait to share all the amazing things that have been happening with me & my school later in this blog post. It’s just that life has a way of keeping you humble & on your knees in prayer; the constant reminder that you’re human & at the drop of a dime, it can be you.
August 2021. My mom came to Boston to visit & help me decorate my new place. There’s so much backstory here that would take multiple blog posts to cover, but long story short, she caught COVID-19. After a few days of worsening symptoms, I took her to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH; if you’re not familiar, Google them. One of the top 5 hospitals in the country). She ends up on a ventilator not once, not twice, but three different times. She was also admitted & discharged from the ICU three different times as well. She developed a bacterial pneumonia on top of the COVID pneumonia, as well as a blood clot in her arteries, in which its size was described by doctors as “impressive”. Trying to remain positive was tough.
My mother & I, June 2021 in North Carolina. We like to dress alike sometimes :-)
If we remember, my mom had come to visit me in Boston, which means I was the only family she had in the area. So, along with serving as her proxy, I was also adjusting to a new life & job in Boston while preparing my school to welcome students in less than a month. As her proxy & only relative in the area, I was at the hospital every single day after work. And I mean of course I was going to go—that’s my momma! I am her only child, and she is my everything. Imagine the pain & shock I felt every time a doctor or nurse told me “we’re doing everything we can”. I can’t count how many times I heard them mention “mortality”. I was hurt.
I will keep this short because this is not my testimony to tell—it’s hers. But after an emergency, life-saving procedure & about 2.5 months in the hospital, my mother is back home, healing, and happy in North Carolina. As I write this, I am sitting in the airport waiting on my flight to get to her. I feel immeasurably blessed, knowing that it was only God who saved my mom’s life; I call her my “miracle mommy”. This is surely a Thanksgiving miracle, and I thank & praise God as often as I can for bringing her through this.
Beautiful flowers one of my closest friends, Kendra, sent my mom while she was in the hospital. Friends that are like family truly held me & my mom down during this season.
So that’s my August-October in a nutshell. All of my educators know that this is prime time for beginning-of-year prep, and setting the tone for your school year. Imagine me trying to do this, as a newly-named principal, while my mom is fighting for her life a few miles down the road. Some may say, “why didn’t you just take off work, or take a leave of absence?”.
I could have & probably should have, but I didn’t. Why not? 1) I know that my mom wouldn’t have wanted me to. Even in her unconscious state—if she could, I’m sure she would have said, “Girl, go to work. I’ll be here when you get off”. My mom is my #1 supporter, hence her coming all the way to Boston just to help me get settled. She also packed up my house (with the help of my friends) when I left to move abroad. And I’ll never forget how she dedicated every one of her Friday nights & Saturdays to my games & competitions when I was a flag girl in my high school marching band. Anytime I make a move, my mom is there to cheer me on. And I know she would’ve wanted me to have a solid start to my school year.
My mom during one of her summer visits to Boston. We love the South Bay shopping center in Dorchester!
And 2) Because I wanted to demonstrate perseverance & dedication to my staff and students, and have every opportunity to set my school up for success. I absolutely love what I do. Preparing to start the school year meant everything to me. Being the new & incoming principal into such a rich school legacy meant filling big shoes, and I needed to be present to do so. Yes, I had an extenuating circumstance. But you never get to redo your first year. You never get to reset the tone. You only get one shot, and I took it. Please know that if the unthinkable had happen to my mom, the time off would have been no question. But as long as she was fighting, so was I.
I fought, worked, and pushed for an amazing school opening. I wanted the return-to-school experience to be exciting for all, especially with new leadership and with pandemic anxiety still lingering. Everyone deserved smiles & brighter days, and I wanted to facilitate that. My leadership team, administrative assistants, and I worked hard planning throughout the summer to create a back-to-school experience like no other. From setting new school priorities, to throwing our Back-to-School Block Bash, to balloon displays, staff luncheons, and more—I believe the tone was set that this school year would be unmatched.
A couple images of our Twitter page, documenting our journey this year.
Culture is huge to me, and I consider myself a cultural leader. I truly believe that the school culture & climate you create will set the tone for how your students & staff will perform. They have to feel pride. They have to feel they belong. And they have to feel that they matter. I spent my first month as principal conversing 1-on-1 with every single one of my staff members for about an hour each (it was supposed to be 30-45 minutes, but it seems almost every conversation ran over!). I got to know them, their families, asked their input on the future direction of the school, and more. I also met several times throughout the summer with students, families, and district-level leaders. I was intentional about completing my entry plan over the summer & establishing a firm foundation for my leadership at this school, and I feel it’s paid off.
There’s so much more to share in regards to my journey here at my new school so far, but I have to give you a reason to come back and read :-) so I can’t spill it all now. Stay tuned to read more of the amazing things we have in store this school year, and also how my leadership has grown due to this great work.
But not only has my leadership strengthened, so has my faith—because God literally carried me through one of the most trying times in my life. Almost losing my mom while birthing a new season in my life was mind-blowing. My uncle said to me, “you’ve probably prayed more during this time than you’ve ever prayed before”, and he was right. And not only was I praying, I had all my people praying—family (of course), friends, church family, colleagues, you name it. Witnessing the power of prayer & how God kept not only my mom, but kept me during this season are blessings that I will never forget. It is truly a season of gratitude, and I am forever grateful.
Me & a few of my students, 2nd day of school. Relationships were formed early!
I will be back to share more about this amazing journey at my new school, but in the meantime, check Twitter and do a quick hashtag search of #GrowBigelow :-) Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours!
