JENNY'S MISSION COMPLETE!

On the day of Dylan's CoH, a batch of muffins arrived at our door. Dylan ate all eight of them before I could take a photo. All that was left of the delivery was this sign.

Anyone who knew Jenny knew that above all else she was Dylan's guiding light. Pick anything worthwhile that Dylan did and it can be traced back to Jenny's influence. Trumpet? She picked his trumpet teacher after an exhaustive search, including multiple interviews. This teacher would go on to be Dylan's most influential role-model outside of his family. Volunteering? It was Jenny who encouraged Dylan and created opportunities for him. Expressiveness and compassion for others? Night after night for years, Jenny sat next to Dylan to teach him how to write and to convey his thoughts.

Dylan has been recognized for tutoring, being an upstander at school and even turning in money he found on the playground. This was all because of Jenny and the value system she instilled in him.

But, when asked with what Dylan identifies most, whether it be student, counselor, football player, tutor, trumpet player--he has been all of these things after all--it's his being an Eagle Scout. And, no other person deserves more credit for that achievement than Jenny. I would argue the rank should be duly bestowed on Jenny as much as on Dylan himself.

One of several Eagle project workdays that Jenny organized. Dylan's project was to find and collect used strollers, refurbish them and donate them to Compass, who works with families in transition.

It broke everyone's heart that Jenny was not at Dylan's Court of Honor two weeks ago. And, yet, everyone also knew the ceremony was a tribute to Jenny. It was only fitting that the playing of The Colors that opened the ceremony was a recording of Dylan's trumpet from years ago. It was then that Jenny encouraged Dylan to play his trumpet for the troop as a Bugler. And, as anyone who has read prior posts on this blog knows, Jenny made sense for Dylan the ocean of requirements necessary for the path to Eagle. If there was a merit badge that Dylan needed, Jenny would either find it for him or start one and lead it (e.g. Law, Communications). She gave Dylan the idea for his Eagle Scout project, organized the work sessions and undertook the laborious task of tracking the refurbishment of each of the nearly 30 strollers that comprised his project.

I've shown this photo multiple times in this blog, but I love it. It shows Jenny's dedication, taking inventory of the many strollers Dylan collected.

But, somewhere along the way, unbeknownst to everyone when it happened, Jenny gave Dylan the greatest gift a mom could give to her son: all the tools needed for his independence. Sometime during the past year, Dylan spread his wings and found out he could fly. For his Eagle project, Jenny carried Dylan to the Red Zone on the proverbial gridiron. But, Dylan carried the ball across the goal line on his own. For years, Dylan relied on Jenny to get through his classes. And then, during this past academic year, Dylan became autodidactic.

I had dreams of Dylan attending a college nearby--there was one in particular that we both liked. How wonderful it would have been to bike over to see him whenever I pleased. He often joked that I could continue to help him with his homework if he went to school nearby. But, he ultimately decided to attend UC Santa Barbara. At four hours away, I'll likely see him only during the long weekends, if that. The past several months have shown, however, that Dylan is more than prepared for this move to Southern California. And, as such, I don't need to worry--yet another gift from Jenny.

Dylan and I at UCSB. Coincidentally, the photo was taken 25 years--down to the hour--after I first met Jenny, on April 11.