In The Blink of an Eye...

The first day of school is always sort of an emotional day of reflection for me. Today was no different. As I dropped off my two middle-schoolers (though I will never be convinced that a 5th grader is a middle-schooler), I spent the drive back home reminiscing about 10 years worth of drop offs...

It was a mere 10 years ago that Big Sis had graduated from high school and was getting ready to start college. About this time, I had helped her move into her first apartment and prepare for her first day of classes...Ten years later, she is happily married, working full-time, and due to give birth to a little boy any minute...

It was a mere 10 years ago that The Senior had just begun middle school. About this time, she and bff Liz would board the school bus at 6:15 for the daily ride to school...Ten years later, she has graduated from college, works full-time, and is getting ready to get married this weekend to Kevin, who she would not meet for a few more years...

It was a mere 10 years ago that The Boy was...3 precious years old and the apple of his mommy's eye. About this time, he would toddle downstairs and play with his trains...Ten years later, his last weekend before school began consisted of baseball practice, going to the lake with friends, and mowing the grass last night...

It was a mere 10 years ago that Little One was...1 year old. About this time, she had just celebrated her first birthday in France, and she learned that her first few years would be spent travelling around...Ten years later, she spent her last weekend before school practicing softball, spending the night with her bff, and deciding how to wear her hair...

It was mere 10 years ago that The Husband was working all over the world. About this time, he might be in California or Australia, planning a race...or checking out a vineyard....Ten years later, he makes his daily 45 minute commute to his office...

It was mere 10 years ago that I was making the adjustment from full-time working mom with 3 kids, to part-time consulting mom with 3 kids and a baby. About this time, I would be calling mom, dad and mother-in-law to fill them in on the first day of school, and how baby was doing....Today, mom, dad and mother-in-law are gone. There are no phone calls to be made...

So this morning, on this first day of school, I'm listening to James Taylor sing about how "the secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"...and agreeing with this philosophy. The only constant in life is change...and love. And as I get ready to welcome a new grandchild....and a new son-in-law, I am acutely aware that each day is a gift of some kind. I pray that the "little ones" will enjoy their first day of school. Who knows what the day will bring...the year will bring...the next 10 years will bring...

On The First Day of School

It wasn't as bad as I thought. In fact, to be perfectly honest, it was a great morning. The first day of school has been depressing to me for...gosh, I don't even know how many years at this point. All the way back to the Big Sister starting kindergarten...I distinctly remember dropping her off (she never looked back) and I walked out and cried in my car. Fast forward to this morning...I woke The Boy up early and we discussed how neither of us had gotten much sleep. We decided we were nervous and anxious and excited ("Mom, what are you nervous about? You're just dropping us off). We had a lovely breakfast together...a new rule I have implemented. Breakfast must be eaten at the table without ESPN or cartoons. Shockingly, he never complained, but chatted about the upcoming day. Little One was still sleeping because she only had Open House today at a later time. Now I am well aware that today's adrenaline probably played a part in the smoothness of the morning, but I am saying a little prayer that this is a routine that we can all adjust to. Is it too much to hope that all mornings can be this happy and upbeat? Probably...but one can always be hopeful on the first day of school.

Little One had the choice of being dropped off, or having me walk her in. I told her that if I walked her in, she wasn't allowed to abandon me and order me to leave when she spotted her friends. "I Won't!" she promised. The minute she hit the steps and saw all of her mother-less friends, she gave me the look and whispered "You can go now....". Big surprise. So I waited back...but still got my peak of her in the room. And then, as I was leaving, I spied The Boy outside on his break...and he waved to me with his big goofy grin...and I was proud of myself for not bursting out in tears.

And so this morning, as we start a new year, I am hopeful that it will good one for all of us. The Rebel , who I am re-naming The Senior, is also preparing to start school. She called discussing schedules and classes and professors...and then said "I feel like I've been going to school my whole life." I had to laugh to myself...because in fact, she has been going her whole life. And I wish her good luck this year, because being a senior in college is exciting, yet daunting. For next year, there will be jobs to pursue and life becomes a bit more challenging in some ways.

So until tomorrow, with the hope that every morning can go as well as this one did...