Firsts

Today is the first day of September and it's also the first day of school for my kids. Marlowe's first day of first grade. Their first day in a new school. First day meeting kids in our new neighborhood. First day of the rest of our lives.

It really feels that way to me, and I'm a little choked up. It was the first time I walked my kids onto campus and didn't get stopped every few feet by friends and other parents asking questions or kibbutzing about teachers and programs. This is cliche, but I went from being a big fish in a small pond to being just one of the many guppies in a new pond. And it felt really good.

September has always felt like the beginning of a new year to me, a chance to start fresh and begin again. This year, it is more palpable than in previous years because of the new house, the new school, a new world vision after our travels this summer, learning to live in a world without Max. But I'm happy about it, all of it. I may be like Marlowe and wear a "Hello, My Name Is___" sticker today.

I'm still finding out who I am, what my name is here. It may take me a while to fill in that blank, but I will. For now, I'm content to wander unencumbered through the school yard, a guppy among guppies, learning to swim through the school of life.