I've been waiting for Tharp to share the pics from presenting this award to Vanessa but . . . so in the meantime, I need to move this post forward before I never catch up on the wonderful things to share.
Vanessa is maintaining summa cum laude status and she has accepted invites for advanced placements in three of her core classes. She's very motivated and determined with so many things now. Soon after all this wonderful news, she received the Tharp S.H.A.R.P. Award. Her peers and teachers nominated her. One peer's nomination explained how helpful Vanessa is to her classmates and how she goes out of her way to be sure to make everyone feel included. Yes, this warms my heart.
Sometimes I feel we are extra hard on her when others are softer on their kids, and that causes me to second guess myself. But then recently Vanessa shared with me that she gets it and is so very thankful her dad and I are hard on her (in regards to responsibilities with all her actions), talking through almost anything and dishing out the consequences pretty consistently. God knew I needed to hear that . . . just when I was feeling exhausted and wondering if I might break her at times.
For people who are working so hard to not conform to the worldly standards but to keep focused on what is best for us as individuals, we get tired and feel defeated at times. It's easy to wonder why we bother and it's often tempting to throw in the towel, but times like these remind us why we do it and that it does and will pay off, even if sometimes it takes a little time to see the blessings that follow. Keep up the excellent work, Vanessa!
UPDATE: The week of Feb 25, we learned that Vanessa was actually placed in AP or Honors for ALL of her core content. So proud her hard work is paying off! And I'm extra thankful she is motivated. . .
