It used to be that Belly counted the days until summer, until she was back at Cousins Beach with Conrad and Jeremiah. But not this year. Not after Susannah got sick again and Conrad stopped caring. Everything that was right and good has fallen apart, leaving Belly wishing summer would never come.
But when Jeremiah calls saying Conrad has disappeared, Belly knows what she must do to make things right again. And it can only happen back at the beach house, the three of them together, the way things used to be. If this summer really and truly is the last summer, it should end the way it started--at Cousins Beach.
What I learned: So many people have so much harder things happen to them growing up than I did. Belly's idol, friend and confidante and Jeremiah and Conrad's mother dies. I have been so extremely lucky that I have not had anyone close to me die in my lifetime so it's hard for me to imagine how absolutely horrible it is. Belly's pain and her relationship with Susannah's boys is raw and while the book doesn't mention much about schoolwork, I would guess that it took a backseat to her grief. As a former teacher, I realize that I probably should have been more sympathetic to what was going on in my students' lives. I knew when a family member had died, of course, and adjusted my expectations for that student accordingly, perhaps giving them more time to finish an assignment and overlooking a few missed homework assignments, but there is just so much stuff that goes on in people's lives that affect how they live. Not only teachers have to be aware of things like that but anyone who interacts with people. We never know what someone is going through and they may have a real reason why they are acting the way they are. I need to work on my kindness and understanding with all people, not just those who I know for sure are going through a hard time.
What I learned: So many people have so much harder things happen to them growing up than I did. Belly's idol, friend and confidante and Jeremiah and Conrad's mother dies. I have been so extremely lucky that I have not had anyone close to me die in my lifetime so it's hard for me to imagine how absolutely horrible it is. Belly's pain and her relationship with Susannah's boys is raw and while the book doesn't mention much about schoolwork, I would guess that it took a backseat to her grief. As a former teacher, I realize that I probably should have been more sympathetic to what was going on in my students' lives. I knew when a family member had died, of course, and adjusted my expectations for that student accordingly, perhaps giving them more time to finish an assignment and overlooking a few missed homework assignments, but there is just so much stuff that goes on in people's lives that affect how they live. Not only teachers have to be aware of things like that but anyone who interacts with people. We never know what someone is going through and they may have a real reason why they are acting the way they are. I need to work on my kindness and understanding with all people, not just those who I know for sure are going through a hard time.
If you've read The Summer I Turned Pretty series, what did you learn? Did you experience grief at a young age?
Hey Katie! I was just looking through some of your posts and this one kind of struck a chord with me. Similarly to how you wish you had been more sympathetic with your students, I find that with my patients and their families there is always more than meets the eye. Sometimes it is so easy to pass judgment on other people when we are so unaware of their life circumstances, or difficulties they have faced, etc. I am constantly challenged to not make assumptions.
ReplyDeleteAlso I miss you a lot! Hope I get to see you sometime soon! Julia