School Day

Why does the first day of school bring bittersweet feelings and tears in all of us?  Dana's breakfast favorite waffles & chocolate chips and Sam's Texas Longhorn hotcakes were a reminder that summer's easy schedule was being replaced by the clock and it's wagging finger.

New clothes felt exciting, but I realized the need to start ironing Sam's button-down shirts the night before.  I felt the need to recheck the teacher's list, the lunchbox & ice water jugs, the school lunch check.

Another First Day Photo on the front steps reminded me we are in a different home.  Twelve years of "First Day" photos were always highlighted on the front porch with flower pots & puppies; one girl, then two, then a little boy added to that morning.  And now, we're back to just two. . .a tall, beautiful dark haired girl & a smiling, clean cut boy.  I miss the three  stair-step kids together.

As we drove into town, another "First Day" tradition, we prayed as we started down Sweet's Hill, like we had for 14 years.  I wondered if the kids will always remember the way we started each school year. . .love, memories and thanks.

Morning Time

Just finished "O Pioneers!" by Willa Cather.  How would I know that finishing that book written nearly 100 years ago would lead me to creat a blog site?  Spurred by a quote on the last page of the book, Iwas surprised at my yearning to "get that thought down".  Here it is: 

The land belongs to the future, Carl;  that's the way it seems to me.  How many of the names onthe county clerk's plat will be there in fifty years?  I might as well try to will the sunset over there to my brother's children.  We come and go, but the land is always here.  And the people who love it and understand it are the people who own it---for a little while.

This is what makes me rise in the morning & fall asleep at night. . .to know that I love this land and it loves our family back.