Vachon Imagined

As the end of the school year approaches, I find myself sitting down to write thank-you cards to all the teachers and staff who have been there for Jonah through both the good and the bad.

The victories are easy to celebrate.

The harder moments are often forgotten.

The days when a pencil falling on the floor was the very last straw for his body and mind. The moments when frustration, exhaustion, and overwhelm seemed bigger than anything else in the room. The times when it would have been easier to give up, look away, or place him quietly in a corner and move on.

But they didn’t.

As I reflect on this incredible school year and all that Jonah has accomplished, I don’t just think about the people who met him where he was.

I think about the people who told him no.

No, you may not do that.

No, that behavior is not appropriate.

No, you may not treat others that way.

And perhaps most importantly:

No, this is not the end.

You made a mistake.

You messed up.

You had a hard day.

But this is not the end.

What a gift that is.

How fortunate we are to have people in our lives who care enough to tell us no when no is the only loving response available.

And then, in the very next breath, tell us yes.

Yes, you can do this.

Yes, you are capable.

Yes, you matter.

Yes, you can learn from this.

Yes, there is more within you than you can presently see.

Love says both.

It says no.

And it says yes.

We learn from both.

In fact, some of our most important lessons arrive disguised as failure, disappointment, correction, or consequence. The lows often teach us what the highs cannot. They reveal our character, our resilience, and our capacity to begin again.

And when the highs do come, they encourage us to keep going. They remind us that growth is possible, that effort matters, and that the difficult days were not wasted.

Perhaps this is what love has always done.

It protects.

It challenges.

It comforts.

It corrects.

It refuses to abandon us to our worst moments, while never letting us believe those moments define us.

For love is not found in saying yes to everything.

Sometimes love looks a great deal like no.

And because someone cared enough to say it, a child learns, grows, and discovers who they are capable of becoming.