My big first grader

When she and I went to her new school together, this was the first thing she found. The lavender. She buried her head in it, and her hands. I joined her and we delighted in the shared joy. If I have a far away look in my eyes today it's because I am reveling in that precise instance and feeling so much peace within.

It would be hard for me to tell you what a journey the last year has been for us in our public school experience. I tried to handle it with grace, but the whole thing fell so far below my expectations that I often felt sad and anxious. That amazing part of the whole saga is that our daughter continued to thrive despite a rigidly strict and punitive teacher. What I learned is that her parents and loved ones are still her biggest teachers despite the influence of an 6 hour a day, 5 day a week commandant/teacher.

Her teacher this year sews and gardens in her free time. She has a worm farm and snails in the room, and in the first week, the class will be making their own napkins to use at school. I could go on and on about how amazing this new school is, but I will just sum it up to say that today, on her first day, I left the school beaming. Last year, on her first day, I left the school sobbing.


So many times in my life, what I have visualized has eventually come to fruition. It is not easy for me to be patient. Today lavender became my hallmark for continuing to believe in my long list of dreams. The scent of it saturated our hands as we walked into my daughter's brand new adventure. How can I ever forget that?