April Showers

I consider this a month full of blessings for so many reasons ...........

The dogs gave me litters of puppies. Six of our dams gave birth and our hands were full attending to the fur mums and their litters but nobody is

complaining. Ever since we discovered the joy of living with other living creatures, our home was virtually turned into a miniature pet haven. Sure, there were noises, even some noises during unholy hour and small inconvenience when we have friends and guest coming over. I am not sure if some of them get turned off because of our living arrangements. One time, a friend said, the house smells of dogs.... We must have been immuned to the smell that we don't smell the doggie fragrance... We try to keep our surroundings clean and aerated but there would be days when the dogs, being dogs, would smell like one. We don't mind those days but perhaps it's a turn off for some ... we have probably assimilated living with the dogs ... so don't expect changes just because we can't suit your nasal standards ... On the other hand, our dogs help us realize that the best things in life are free.... which is probably just what some people I know, need .... hmmm .... There have been studies about how pets relieve life's stresses... it comes as no surprise that happy and easy people are pet lovers.

It is also summer vacation time for the kids. In all likelihood, they would be vegging out, pigging out, and social networking all the time. I hope not...

Surprise of all surprises, MS didn't have to go to summer class.... this after he was failing in the third quarter.... His adviser informed us about what is becoming imminent in the PTA for the third quarter and we just accepted with resignation my son's fate of going to summer class. When we asked him and attributed his dismal school performance to time spent playing computer games and not studying, he turned the table around and took us to task telling us we are never around for him.... that got us guilt-stricken for days and I had to take action fast. Hubby and I agreed to get a tutor for my son even if the outcome is uncertain with very little time left. By some twist of fate, I dug from the deep recesses of my mind that my neighbor's fiance is a math teacher in high school.... halleluyah!!! I knew this all the time and the need for a tutor for my son never emerged until now .... Immediately, I took steps to talk to my neighbor and later to her fiance..... and suddenly MS has a tutor.... With just a bit of luck, he likes his tutor who bears a striking resemblance to both his former adviser whom he likes and respects and an uncle whom he adores. Even the demeanor of the tutor has an uncanny similarity to his former adviser and uncle .... There are some guilty feelings making an arrangement for MS that makes it convenient for hubby and I to dispense with our parental duty... but it is the best that we can do under the circumstances.

Hounded by thoughts of bearing the hot summer sun trekking to school and not having a summer vacation, MS took his tutoring sessions seriously. The results were immediately felt. MS no longer was the cranky, frustrated teen who hated math. He was, in fact, coping well.... so well, that we were in disbelief when he told us that he was exempted from taking the last major exam. We didn't want to hurt his feelings but we wanted to make sure he got it right. I told him to ask his adviser to clarify if his exemption from the exam means that he passed the subject.... My thought was that the exam was immaterial because he failed the subject... Aside from him asking, I sent a text message to his resource teacher who also is not aware of his status. When MS came back with his adviser's reply, he was sure he is exempted from taking the exam.... my only worry is that it could have meant failure... my doubt was somehow erased by the fact that his adviser or teachers never advised us to prepare for summer class even during the last day of class which I attended.... he must have passed ... I hope ....

It was a workday when MS's report card was to be released and I had to ask ED to take over the role of guardian to be able to get MS's card. I can't get my mind off it even while I was in the office and I had to text ED for MS's grade in math. She confirmed that MS passed ..... a whooping 9 percentile point leap from his previous failing mark ....... and I felt proud like never before ... ED and MD might get mad at me for this ..... but the feeling is even far exhilarating than going up the stage to receive honors for my two girls.... something tells me that MS can accomplish greater feat if he puts his mind and heart into something.

What could get better than this...... I am out of the firing range in the kingdom .... little furry bundles of joys are a source of delight at home..... MS came bouncing back with a vengeance ..... these showers of blessing paint a beautiful rainbow of colors against the sunny bright skies .....