First Day of School!

"You're off to great places!  Today is your day!  Your mountain is waiting, so...Get on your way!" - Dr. Seuss

It has been ages since I posted, but even with the lapse of time, it doesn’t seem possible to land where we are today with my sweet Eliza heading off to school. It was so much more than a first day…it was a first launch of many that I know will come.  She is three years old, but with very few exceptions, she has been with me or a family member for her entire life.  The preschool is only four mornings a week, but the magnitude of that shift stuns me.  How is it possible that the years of her being home and with me day in and day out are suddenly behind us?  That was too quick.  I don’t feel ready to entrust another tribe to whisper all the reassurances, hug away all the fears, and cheer on all the brave new firsts.  And yet, I am thrilled for her!  Let’s just say I had all the feels at drop-off today.

This morning, I opened the door to Eliza’s room to find her already dressed (a full hour earlier than we usually get up).  Amelia must have helped her choose her special outfit and change out of her pajamas, and the kindness in that small act of sisterhood fills me with such joy!  I love to imagine what their conversation was like in those early morning moments together, but I know her encouragement as they said goodbye and her excitement as we picked her up later was enough to melt my heart.  She wouldn’t leave without reminding the teacher about Eliza’s special diet, a fierce advocate for her sister so many times and in so many ways.  And then, we turned together and looked one last time at our preschooler, sitting between two new friends and working to assemble a set of Lincoln Logs…so happy, so present.  Again, all the feels.

Eliza is ready.  She is so brave, so eager to go out and experience a life that she clearly believes is out to delight her.  And with an attitude like that, how can it not?