THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Today is Kolby's first day of school. We all went up to Spring Valley Elementary this morning, took pictures, socialized, and then made a quick exit. I cried in the van on the way home. Rob smiled and kidded me about crying a bit. Once home, there was no time for tears! I started keeping my friend Alain's 15 month old daughter, McKenna, this morning. Alain was Kolby's kindergarten teacher last year. She is the kind of teacher I would like to be. It is very very hard for her to leave her girls (4 years & 15 mo) . We have cried (she starts and I have to join her) about this day for weeks now. But it is here and it has been fine. Again the Moms are crying while the kids are doing great.... It's The First Day of School!

The First Day of School feels a little bit like Christmas day to me. As a teen I would never have thought those words would come from me! But, as I blogged about a week ago, the "first day of school" rush is a bit like the Christmas rush to me. The first day of school is not just a day, it is a season. When I see mounds of spiral notebooks, yellow pencils and crayons filling the store shelves I react much the same way I do to Christams ornaments and wrapping paper in the grocery store...."Is it time for that already?" That reaction usually births "the list." You know the "the list", don't you? That mental or physical line up of all the things that must be done, purchased, or cleaned before_____ (in this case) the first day of school.

As I said I blogged about that earlier. The part I love is on the actual First Day of School, the list expires. Times Up! For better or worse, can't do anymore to prepare because it is here! And this year, like in years past or other big days past, I have to say that there is joy and somehow comfort in knowing the day is here and nothing more can be done. There is a peace that creeps into my day just because I don't have to live by the list. Oddly enough, even if all my items are not checked off, I still enjoy putting the list to rest.

I wonder if the first day of school and death have any similarities?(My teenage self could more easily relate to this comparison.) I wonder if in that time between death and heaven we will feel relief because we don't have to live by the list anymore? Jesus did that for us. He died so that we wouldn't have to live by the list. God's grace and love keep us from the spiritual checklist. We just have to worry about the condition and capacity of our hearts. Just a thought. I stray...

Tonight we will have our traditional "First Day Of School" dinner of Ritz cracker chicken, steamed broccoli and funny fruit salad followed by an apple shaped and decorated strawberry cake with butter cream icing for dessert. It's a tradition we started when Kolby was in 2 year old pre-school. (We even did it after her first day of 3 year old preschool even though I was being induced the next morning at 6am to have Rhett!) It is an "everyone at the table, talk about our day" kind of meal. It's our way to give a big day a great ending and to start out the year eating and sharing as a family.

So go forth and join me in burning the "before school starts" list, throw a casserole in the oven and dine around the table with your whole family tonight ... HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL EVERYONE!