Kindergarten

So, I'm finally cleaning my studio and going through some old files and envelops. First I find a photo of Jack when he was a brand new kitten and I cried big fat tears of missing him. Then I find this . . .  My heart literally whispered "not that! Not that picture of Emily on her first day if Kindergarten" -- one of the saddest and proudest days of my life. Look at her. She is five and missing her first tooth and smiling because she made it to school and they have a workbench with real tools and nails. Emily is number three child and now she was in school with her big brother and sister AND her classroom was the absolute coolest. This first day of school was a simple two hour sample so the children would know where to go and what to do. I left Em hammering at the workbench. She did not cling like all, I'm sure all, the other kids did. Their mothers comforting them with, "It will be okay, I'll be right back, you'll see." I left the room and immediately sobbed -- those dreadful, "Oh please don't let me do this in public" kind of snorting sobs. I didn't know any of the normal moms leaving school and I really didn't want to meet them. Instead I headed for the ice cream shop a block away from school, waited until they opened at 9:00, and ordered a Pralines and Cream in a dish. Yes, it did help. I was better and walked to the branch library to look at the magazines and before I knew it, it was time to pick-up Emily at school and our lives continued to thrive within all the textures and colors of family love.