Heading Back (East) to School

This is a guest post from my beautiful wife, Cindy. Enjoy!

Our family moved east – 2,350 miles from our cozy beach digs in Long Beach, California to the all American city of Cincinnati, Ohio. We’ve quickly transplanted our Pacific Coast routines to lush green hills and rolling meadows where a million blue and orange butterflies love to mingle.

Haley and Ethan went back to school last Monday, full of excitement for all the new things; new teachers and new friends, but mostly, a brand new school.

We met the teachers the week before and purchased uniforms from The Spirit Shop located on the school’s campus. The name Spirit Shop alone compelled me to buy something. Armed with our crisp white polos, proudly stamped with the school’s name and emblem, we skipped out the door.

The next time we crossed the threshold, Haley and Ethan would officially be students.

They’ve been confident, cheerful and entirely eager to run from one end of their new stomping grounds to the other. I was the one with butterflies on the eve of a new school year.

I went through iPhoto, scrolling through every back to school picture, thinking about the milestones while looking at the signature outfits and trademark poses; cheesy grins above the perfect apple for the teacher. Classic.

This year’s first day of school saw helium balloons gracing the winding stair case as light illuminated every window, door and smile. As soon as we crossed the entrance Ethan and Haley abandoned our hands and scampered up the stairs. Sean and I looked at each other in awe as our children left us standing there soaking it all in.

Ethan looked over his shoulder, “I know where to go Mom, is it okay if I go by myself?”

GULP!

I flipped through my rolodex of memories – all the Moms and Dads I had assured, consoled and hugged as they sobbed, worried and obsessed about their baby on the first day of school.

GULP!

I paused to annihilate the ugly cry about to surface from my throat, then reached inside my soul to give the love I’d given to so many parents on that first day of school back to myself. I kung fu gripped Sean’s hand as we walked back to the car, holding my head high, while feeling proud and injured in the same breath.

Sean whispered to me, “It’s okay Mama, this is what we wanted, remember?”

I looked up once more as a butterfly graced my cheek and moved my eyes to the stairs. I saw my son going to the library with his class and my daughter bringing a paper to the office with a new schoolmate. They both waved inconspicuously with their pointer finger, just as I had taught them.

The moment played itself out in a beautiful symphony, and my heart felt  humbled by the harmony of my Haley and Ethan moving along, composing a new song for their new conductor.

Bye bye butterfly!