Poignant Times

These are poignant times for our family.  Last week Helen returned to her Waldorf School as the Royal Page for the Knighting Ceremony.  The Knighting ceremony is a 6th grade right of passage at the Waldorf School where students must complete a wide variety of tasks that show they are ready to enter the middle school years.  Here is the Squire's Challenge:

Thou must do good works. 
Ten hours of community service must be accomplished before thy knighthood shall be achieved. Thou must find an elder to vouchsafe and sponsor thee, and to speak for they good name. 
Thou must represent thy heritage with a family crest.
Thou must fashion a sword with which to be knighted. 
Thou shall uphold a vow of silence on the eve of thine knighthood. 
Thou shall compete in a tournament of medieval games and embark on a quest, requiring the eyes of an eagle, the cunning of a fox, and the courage of a lion.

An alum is invited back to act as page to the King and Queen. Here she is standing by their thrones!

And here is the church, ready for the 6th graders to arrive:

It was a fun and poignant night for Helen. She got to come back and reflect on what a special education she had as she listened to the 6th graders honor each other and bask in their accomplishments. 

Here's a link to Liz's Knighting Ceremony and Helen's.

The poignant days continue with our nephew James graduating from high school. He's headed off to Iceland to travel next week. I find it amazing that he speaks Icelandic. He loves languages.

While we were at his graduation lunch, Helen texted me to let us know that she had received a prize at her high school undergraduate awards for her work editing the literary magazine.  We texted a toast right back to her in the awards ceremony. The wonders of modern technology.

From going back home to our childhood, to reflecting on our own children's childhoods, and to celebrating the next steps our teens are taking what a season in our lives this is.