Joy Drop: Back to school week is always bittersweet

Friends! I hope the first week of school was smooth. We are looking forward to some beautiful weather and some crisp fall weather. I absolutely love autumn and the array of orchard fruits and activities during these months.

I also absolutely love back-to-school stories shared online and pictures of kids being sent off to school. With three of mine in university, I have been relishing my youngest still being in high school. I only have one more year of packing lunches and coordinating schedules. 

But this year amongst all the excitement, financials are top of mind. I think about being able to support and encourage the kids as prices skyrocket for everything from school supplies to food. There have been some amazing initiatives from across the country of communities exchanging and donating items to other families. The reminder that when we're vulnerable we can rely on each other is truly wonderful.

Something else that brought me a lot of joy was the publication day of my friend Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir. She wrote a book called Lion on the Inside: How One Girl Changed Basketball.

Abdul-Qaadir lived in London, Ont., for a short while but now lives in Memphis, Tenn., with her husband and two sons. She has been part of basketball history for pushing FIBA to allow women with hijab to play basketball at professional levels. Not only is the book highly anticipated, her parents' unboxing video is possibly the cutest thing ever. 

Parents celebrating the accomplishments of their children is a cool thing and I am all here for it. 

Another thing that deserves celebration is an incredible story of a bird that was once thought to be extinct, making a bold return to New Zealand. Takahē birds were thought to be completely gone in 1898 but