kindergarten


School days have begun for us... Ivory started kindergarten several weeks ago! By now she is enjoying her class and friends, loves PE, and generally eats all of her lunch that I send... which is better than I could say through the summer! :) Honesty is always my goal, though, and if I'm being completely honest, sending my first child to kindergarten has been much harder than I thought.

I wish I could say that by the fourth morning of kindergarten, we flawlessly completed our morning routine including quiet time, protein-filled breakfast, plenty of clean clothes in the drawers, no arguments about hair or shoes, no nerves, and no fits by little brothers. But I cannot say that. In fact, the fourth morning of kindergarten proved how quickly you can go from being "on time" to "late", and also showed me the extent to which the weather forecast will dictate our methods of getting and from school from here on out. "Heavy rain" is not ideal walking conditions. Thankfully, I realized that before it was completely too late, but by that time the car drop-off line includes everyone else who made that same last-minute decision and the bell still rings at 8 a.m.

Dropping her off at school, however we happen to arrive, changes our day. The first day the boys and I walked home quietly, alone, her absence felt so huge. She has been gifted in ways that I am not, and the ways she loves and nurtures her little brothers, selflessly caring for many needs is missed around here. "Nervous" is an understatement as to her feelings in the days leading up to the first day of school, and "torn" is a good word to describe mine. On the one hand, we miss her deeply and it feels like letting go of her. But on the other hand, I want this for her. It is time for my role in her life to shift. There is much she can learn from other people, and much I can learn as I parent her through this new way of learning.

As life begins to slowly resume to a new normal, I've been reading through Daniel and there are two things that stand out to me: his courage, and his commitment to just doing what is in front of him - both as a nobody and as a noble. Whether he was being recognized for his work and faith or not, he was still doing it. I pray that, I, too, could courageously do this work - diligently and with a thankful heart that trusts God and takes Him at His word.

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