My mom is still sitting on my mantle. She asked to be sprinkled over flowers to help them grow. We both forgot I'm the one with the black thumb.

CJ had started his red belt quest back in June. He has had to really persevere at the dojo and it is good to see all that work finally pay off for him. Very proud mama tonight.

Congratulations to CJ! Every test is the culmination of months of hard work, and you have to earn it.

That's impressive. When I think about where he was when I first met him, to the changes that he's made since he moved to CO - well, he's come a long way. Nice to see his focus and discipline.

Suzi, can I be proud from a distance without being too creepy? Because that's one of the great things about watching the fencing kids develop. They can get to a certain point just because they're young and enthusiastic and learning a gazillion new things, but when they get to the point where it gets hard for them, and they make the decision that they want to really buckle down and fight for it anyway? Fucking magic.

You could definitely manage it like the trick in Shawshank Redemption where the guy smuggles out the dirt from his escape tunnel into the yard.

My first thought too!

Jilli, I am so terribly sorry.

Jilli, I am so sorry. Peace and strength to you and your dad.

Thanks Amy and David. Going through the red belt training is not part of the normal progression, it is in addition to the regular belt material. Being a red belt means he is an apprentice instructor. In addition to learning how to teach, he is also learning about the business side of the dojo. He hadn't passed the test that was given at the end of the summer training. He retook the test in the fall, but that happened at the same time as the pencil stabbing incident which threw a monkey wrench into the whole thing. Not going to go into that cause it was a mess.

Anyway, the Sensei a couple of levels up from our head Sensei gave the approval for his red belt to be awarded tonight. It was a very nice surprise.

Jilli - I am so sorry for your loss. I can't seem to find any other words.

Awww, that's a very cool vote of confidence from the sensei, Suzi. Well done, CJ.

Oh, Steph, I'm sorry. But despite your guilt, you did right: you knew when it was time, and you took action to prevent her being in any more pain.

What Consuela said.

With two of our cats( Bertram and Percy) it was 'easy' as it would have been torture not to let them go. For AndyCat it was horrible. It wasn't that he was fighting to stay alive, he just adjusted to the changes. But even with that , it was time when I took him in. and it hurts to even think about it. You did right, but I am sorry for your pain, Steph.