Every morning, as I watch our #Twinado walk from car to school entrance, I am reminded of just how many hours they will spend with classmates and educators.
2,400 days and 16,758 hours to be exact- not including snow days, sick days, and early dismissals.
Then, as I drive away, I say a few prayers. I also give a wave and drop a word of thanks to those faculty standing at the crosswalk who make sure our kids are safe and have the space to learn and grow into the people they were created to be. I even fight a few tears, reminded both how quickly time has gone and how much of parenting involves entrusting our children to the love and care of others.
This last part is especially difficult.
So I pray again and again that God’s Spirit would hover over the sacred chaos of their education years.
Turn and Wonder
You turn and you wonder
what might lay ahead
in the classroom
cafeteria
playground
bus ride home
16,758 hours of possibility
to learn
to discover
to fear
to struggle
to encounter others
Each day a canvas
each moment a drop of paint
bright colors
dark shadows
a gallery in the making
who you are and yet to be
You are loved
to love
we say as you walk out the door
into the care of others
sisters and brothers
new friends and neighbors
Ask questions
then ask another
each mystery not to be solved
a nudge forward
ahead
to what has yet to be uncovered
You are not alone
numbers
letters
will not define you
you were made in an image
unable to be assessed
Remember this
when you see her seated next to you
gain a glimpse of the child alone
could be you
looking for a friend
welcome and belonging
You are just beginning
learning
growing
faster than we imagined
more brilliant than we could have hoped
unfinished still
Turn and wonder again
each day
every day
You were created for this
for tomorrow
and every day to come.