Friday, June 15, 2012

Lullaby

Yesterday I was working and listening to my iTunes. The Dixie Chicks song 'Lullaby' came on. That song and many others immediately remind me of the boys' Bar Mitzvah videos. I used lots of my favorite songs in those videos. A few years back I had a drive crash and, apparently, Sammy's Bar Mitzvah video was on it. I could re-create the video pretty easily as I have all the photos in folders, and all the songs. Instead, I decided last night to use just that one song and make a video of Sammy, ages 0-18. I made one for Joey... I even made a video of Lily. Sammy deserves his own.

As some of you may know, Sammy is on a month long trip to Europe with friends. He left Monday afternoon. I miss him terribly. I thought I was going to be able to handle Sammy leaving home. I thought it would be easier because now I will not have to wonder where he is at 3:00am. I will not have to wonder if he made it to class... on time, or at all. I will not have to worry whether he turned in his homework--or got in trouble. He is off to college and in complete control of his own destiny. At 3:00am when I sit bolt upright in bed in panic and wonder, where is he (as I did for a couple weeks after we dropped Joey at college), I will lay back down and go back to sleep knowing he is at college, being his own person, doing what he wants to do, continuing his journey to who he will eventually be--on his own.

For now, that painful emptiness is just teasing me, because he is in Europe--not at college. This is just a precursor for what is to come. He will return and then we will say good-bye again and then our house will truly have a void. When both boys leave in August, Joey for his semester abroad in Amsterdam, and Sammy for college in Maine, we will be alone.

One day you get this great gift handed to you. A gift that comes with so much responsibility and yet such great joy. And then, you turn around, and they are grown. Here is a video that, in a little under 6 minutes, spans 18 years of my sweet, sweet, Sammy. This is one second child that does not lack for photos.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

We Are So Proud

Five days ago, Sammy graduated High School!


I am not sure we could be more proud. This post is dedicated to sweet, sleepy, smart, sporty, sensitive Sammy.

He did it! Sammy graduated from High School. Phew! I’m not gonna say it was easy. It wasn’t. It wasn’t easy for Sammy and it wasn’t easy for us. Sammy had THE wickedest case of “senioritis.” There were moments when we questioned his ability to pull it off. But he did, indeed, pull it off and we are so proud of him for hanging in there.

This house will not be the same without the presence of Sammy Lubitz. The cats, oh those cats are going to miss hanging out on the leather sofa watching you play video games J

When you were 0
You were the sweetest, happiest, sleepiest little baby
and we fell in love the moment we laid eyes on you.
You got your first tooth and held your own bottle both at
the ripe old age of 4 months.

When you were 1
You charmed all the childcare staff and they spoiled you.
You were strong and happy, you watched everything your big brother did
and you wanted so desperately to keep up with him.
Your first word was ball and the next was blue
and you loved all balls, big and small.

When you were 2
You had THE most beautiful blond curls
and the biggest brown eyes, and you didn’t go
anywhere without a Hot Wheels car or a Thomas
The Tank Engine in your pocket. Your favorite
book was The Runaway Bunny.

When you were 3
You made friends at preschool and you were loyal.
You loved kicking, throwing, and bouncing balls
wherever and whenever you could and you
refused to learn to swim (a running Lubitz Brother theme).

When you were 4
You refused to wear a peach colored shirt
because you said that color was for girls.
You learned to ride a bike without training wheels,
you took your first tennis lesson, and you got your
first “buzz” cut because you wanted straight hair like
your brother and your best friend. You would have
nothing to do with girls.

When you were 5
You started playing t-ball and soccer and
learning Japanese. You made new best friends
and you started honing your mischievous side.
You took one piano lesson and decided right away
that you did not want to play the piano.
You loved collecting rocks and found shiny ones
to store in your pockets. Every night you begged me
to read you Harry Potter.

When you were 6
T-ball turned into baseball and we realized
you could play every position on the field with skill.
You loved being a soccer goalie and you learned to read.
You started taking tennis lessons every week (and never
stopped). You traveled to Japan for the very first time.

When you were 7
You were told you had to play all soccer positions
(not just goalie), so you quit the team and focused
on baseball. Your love of video games was
born in earnest and you spent every possible moment
with your best friends (no girls).

When you were 8
You begged to play tackle football and we begrudgingly
agreed. You played both Fall and Spring baseball.
You traveled to Japan for the second time and even
had your own business cards. By third grade it was obvious
school was not your favorite place to be and your 3rd
grade Japanese teacher told us you often slept in class, but
somehow managed to ace every test. This would also
become a running theme.

When you were 9
You continued playing football, Fall and Spring baseball and
it became obvious school was not your favorite, but you went
diligently in order to spend as much time with your friends as possible.
You took up the Bass Guitar.

When you were 10
You continued playing football and you took up soccer again in the Fall.
You traveled to Japan for the third time. You gave up baseball, temporarily.
You graduated from elementary school.

When you were 11
You played your 4th year of football, you started playing basketball
on the school team, and you continued playing goalie on the soccer team.
You started middle school.

When you were 12
You played your 5th and final year of football. You did an absolutely
amazing job at your Bar Mitzvah ceremony chanting both your Torah
and Haftarah portions. You had a party and invited every single one of your
classmates because you didn’t want anyone to feel left out. The inflatable
sumo ring you picked out was a big hit! You continued playing basketball
and soccer and loving it.

When you were 13
You traveled to Japan for the 4th time. You came home from Japan and
gave an awesome presentation comparing American and Japanese
Automobiles. You graduated from the Japanese Magnet Program having
been on the honor roll every single grading period and you made the decision
to follow your brother to Catlin Gabel for High School. You played basketball
and you decided to play baseball again in preparation for Catlin. You were an
amazing closing pitcher, catcher, first baseman, and one of their best hitters.
Your team came in 2nd in district and went to the state tournament.

When you were 14
After taking tests, being interviewed and being accepted, you started
your Freshman year at Catlin Gabel School. You made new
friends. You went on outdoor trips and played basketball and baseball.

When you were 15
You played basketball and baseball and continued your nearly lifelong
habit of spending absolutely as much time as possible with your friends.
We didn’t take it personally. You inherited Nana Fern/Papa Skip’s
1966 Thunderbird (which went immediately to the mechanic).

When you were 16
You made me the most beautiful bench in woodworking class.
You traveled to Japan for the 5th time and you said good-bye
to your brother as he headed off to college. Your friends became
even more important to you and we understood. You played
basketball and tennis. You attended the winter formal... with
a girl J

When you were 17
You took the SAT exam. You struggled with motivation and had
a hard time making it to class and getting your homework in,
but at the same time, your artistry as a filmmaker became apparent.
You attended your Junior Prom. You got your nose broken at basketball
camp playing flag football and other than practicing basketball and tennis,
you took the rest of the summer off.

When you were 18
You started the college application process and
you realized you would, in fact, need to go to class in order to graduate.
You decided to go to Bates College in Maine. You went to the Senior Prom.
You played tennis doubles most awesomely and walked away from the OSAA
State Tennis Tournament with an outstanding 3rd place finish. You received the
Media Arts Award for your filmmaking and you graduated High School. Your C&C deemed
you the strongest person they know, most likely due to your recent obsession
with weightlifting and for your Catlin Gabel Upper School Arm Wrestling
Championship Title. You left for Europe.

Sammy, despite our constant fretting and worrying over you, we adore everything about you. You are kind, sensitive, strong, athletic, loyal, intelligent, witty and oh, so handsome. We hope all your dreams come true and we miss you so much. After putting this down on "paper", I also realize how much we will miss watching you play sports. I am currently thinking of buying a place in Maine J.