The Impactful Conversation - Week of Apr. 21st

"No one knows for certain how much impact they have on the lives of other people. Oftentimes, we have no clue." ~Jay Asher

Kind people surround us.  During a strange power outage in our former neighborhood on the next street, our close friends reached out.  They stayed overnight and we shared dinner together.  A beautiful bouquet of flowers was dropped off from them and two weeks later, the remaining arrangement still looks lovely.  Thanks to Ms. Patti and Mr. Steve!

Perspective is defined as a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; your point of view. Cam learned a lesson in perspective this week. 

When he arrived home from school one day, he was adamant that one of classroom aides had berated him for his power chair not functioning correctly.  He was upset and expressed his feelings. Jane reached out to his teacher via email explaining the situation.  The teacher shared the email with the aide and when Cam arrived the next morning, they had an open discussion. Upon entrance home after the school day, he was so happy to report all about it.  Cam and his mom talked about how misunderstandings happen sometimes because of the lack of open communication.  And, how good it feels to have things resolved and move forward!

Jane picked up Oma on Wednesday and Chris headed to Detroit on Thursday to begin his extended weekend fishing trip on the river with some friends.  The warmer weather provided a nice afternoon for strolling.  Cam and his grandma made energy bites to fulfill the snack zone for the next few days.

The weekend included a Grandma-Mom-Son outing to a family favorite, Olive Garden.  Cam played on the tablet at the restaurant since it's so similar to his iPad.  Our meals were most delicious and Cam saw a classmate who works as a hostess there.

Chris sent us a fun pic from the Detroit River holding a delicious walleye.  The guys all catch their limit daily, have the fish cleaned and then split the entire bounty at the end of the trip.

Sunday was the best weather day of Oma's stay so we headed over to our local botanical gardens in the early afternoon. 

Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park spans 158 total acres, with approximately 60 acres developed as outdoor gardens, natural areas, and the sculpture park.  One of our favorite sculptures is the DaVinci Horse. Here are some fun facts:

• Leonardo da Vinci designed a giant horse statue in 1482 to honor the Duke of Milan’s father. 
• It was intended to be the largest equestrian statue in the world, made of bronze. Though he completed detailed sketches and a full-scale clay model, it was never cast in bronze due to wars and political turmoil. 
• The project was revived in the 1970s by Charles C. Dent, a U.S. pilot and art collector. 
•  After his death, Nina Akamu, an accomplished sculptor, reworked the design based on Leonardo’s original plans. 
• The final statue was cast in bronze in 1999. 
• 🐴 The Meijer Gardens Horse The American Horse at Frederik Meijer Gardens is one of only two castings of the final sculpture (the other is in Milan, Italy). 
• It stands 24 feet tall (about 7.3 meters). 
• Commissioned and donated by philanthropist Fred Meijer, who was deeply inspired by da Vinci and public art. 
• Installed at the Gardens in 1999 and serves as a centerpiece for visitors. 
• It’s located in an open plaza area with space to walk all around it. 
• Made from bronze, weighing about 15 tons. 
• Visitors often take photos standing beneath it to capture its massive scale.

We also saw our close friends, Anna and Spencer with their daughter, Lucie.  It was such a special day made even better!  

Shortly after leaving the Gardens, we made our way to Liam's house to celebrate his 17th birthday.  He and Cam have known each other since preschool!  Chris actually arrived back in GR early, so he joined us there. Jane returned Oma to her home and they both commented on all of the flowers suddenly in bloom.  The weekend came to an end much too quickly, but we all packed quite a bit in 😀

Camology Quotes:

Cam likes to know what meals are being planned in advance.  However, he does not pretend to know what his parents will do as noted in his response to Jane: 

"I only worry about myself when it comes to choosing food, Mom."