Well the new school year is almost upon us. The kiddies look to Tuesday with one part lament for the passing of the summer mixed with one part excitement to see their friends again and kick-off another year of learning.
I realized today, that this will be the last year that my oldest is in the same school as one of her sisters until grade 12, six years from now. At first I felt a little sad for the one being left behind only to realize that at least she still has our youngest to keep her company at their present school. Whereas my oldest will be on her own, trailblazing into the great unknown that is middle-school and high school. That takes guts and grit.
I mentioned it to my girls but was careful not to do it in a way that added too much gravity to the situation. I mean, perhaps the feeling I infused this situation with is simply parental projection...maybe I'm a little uneasy with the notion of the girls growing up and striking out on their own. Okay, alright...I know they're still a few years from disembarking the family ship, but each milestone, like this one, reminds me of how fleeting our time together is. And quite frankly the milestones seem to clipping by a little faster each year.
I often go through my days without much thought to the temporal nature of familial situation. When you're in the midst of the day-to-day busyness, struggles and joy it often seems like there is no end in sight. Then you take a moment to pause, step back, look around and you suddenly realize that what's to come is actually less than what has been, at least in regards to time.
My hope is that what's to come is far greater than what has come and gone. I hope it is filled with time well spent with one another and spent well on experiences that draw us closer together as a family. I strive to make it count so that the girls never feel like they're going it alone regardless of the space between us.
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